Orlando police are investigating a charity scam that left a pastor dead.
| AP file Orlando police say a black church member was arrested on fraud charges in connection with the death of St. Vincent de Paul co-founder and philanthropist Vincent Black.
Orlando police spokeswoman Lt.
Kim Smith said the case against the 52-year-old Rev. Vincent Black is still under investigation.
| Orlando Sentinel file Vincent Black was found dead in Orlando in February 2017.
| Courtesy of St Vincent de Proitt, a charity that black churches run.
A black pastor has been arrested in connection to the death, the Orlando Police Department said Tuesday.
The Rev. James Martin Black of the Orlando-area St. Paul Baptist Church was arrested Thursday, the police said in a statement.
Black’s arrest was made after an investigation by the Orlando Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is conducting the investigation.
Police said Black was arrested after being questioned by police in the St. Louis suburb of St Louis Park and was charged with two counts of felony fraud in connection at a February 21st rally at the church.
Police didn’t identify the Rev. Black.
Black was a longtime friend of Orlando-based St. Vincent de Prazt, which provides services for people with disabilities.
A representative for Black didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Black, who was black, served as pastor of St Paul’s First Baptist Church for nearly 30 years.
He served as the church’s president from 2007 to 2015.
He was also pastor of the St Vincent De Paul International Missions Church in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Orlando Police Commission met Tuesday and voted to recommend that Black be suspended or expelled from his position.
“I’m very saddened by the loss of one of our most beloved and valued members of our community, the Rev, James Martin,” Orlando Police Commissioner Andrew Smith said in the statement.
“This is a tragedy and a tragedy of such gravity that I can only hope that justice is served in the investigation.”