Church Treasurer Fired Over Alleged Embezzlement : Religion: Southland United Methodist official, who began job two weeks ago, reportedly admitted taking up to $380,000 while working in New York.

In the second allegation this year of embezzlement involving a major national church, the new United Methodist Church treasurer for Southern California and Hawaii has been fired after reportedly admitting that he transferred church funds into a personal account while he worked in New York.

William R. Jones, who took office as treasurer of the California Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church two weeks ago, was relieved of his duties Nov. 17 by Bishop Roy I. Sano after the New York allegations came to light, the bishop’s office said Wednesday.

Sano, who heads the California Pacific-Conference, said Jones reportedly took between $350,000 and $380,000 while working in New York for the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He had served there as general controller since 1993.

Sano said that while Jones wrote four questionable checks, the bulk of the funds were transferred electronically in a single transaction. Sano added that no local funds had been taken and that additional security measures have been put into place to guard against unauthorized electronic transfers.

Jones has admitted taking the money and has promised to pay it back, church officials said.

Sano said he hired Jones in August after Jones received “a very high recommendation” from the New York-based General Board.

Jones assumed the post of treasurer of the church’s California-Pacific Conference in Pasadena on Nov. 1 and had served in the position only a few days when the New York allegations came to light, the church said. The money was apparently taken the third week of October, Sano said.

Sano said that he understood an arrest warrant had been issued and that Jones was returning to New York to face charges.

In May, the Episcopal Church disclosed that its national treasurer, Ellen F. Cooke, had embezzled more than $2.2 million from its national headquarters in New York. The church hopes to recover most of those funds by selling property owned by Cooke and her husband, an Episcopal priest, and by collecting on a bond. Cooke had been asked to resign before the embezzlement was discovered.

That disclosure rocked the Episcopal Church and led some bishops to call for the resignation of Presiding Bishop and Primate Edmund L. Browning, but Browning refused.