Pastor With “Debilitating” Disease Sued After Insurers Discover Facebook Posts
Cynthia McCullough, the pastor of St. John AME Zion Church in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, had a “severe and debilitating” disease. She suffered from “reflex sympathetic dystrophy,” a painful nervous system disorder that left her unable to dress and bathe without assistance. Specifically, she said she can’t bend or reach certain parts of her body, has pain in her lower back and right leg and foot, and suffers a “loss of range of motion.” Serious stuff.
Lucky for her, though, she had insurance through New York Life, and they began paying for her needs beginning in 2010. Since that time, they’ve spent $389,479.00 to cover her benefits.
But at the end of 2016, just after conducting a visit and agreeing to continue reimbursing her payments, New York Life began surveilling McCullough. They wanted to know if the assistance she needed so desperately was still evident when they weren’t in the room.
And guess what?
While under surveillance, McCullough moved freely without any apparent sign of hesitation or restriction and without the use of any visible support devices. Surveillance video revealed McCullough walking with a normal gait in and out of a church and her home independently, without the assistance of another person or the use of a cane. It showed her lifting her arms while putting various items into her SUV and taking them out. McCullough was able to bend at the waist and place things into the car’s backseat. The surveillance video further revealed McCullough was able to bend down and pick an item up off of the ground and was able to carry a large handbag and several other items using both arms. McCullough was able to open and close doors using both hands and arms.
Surveillance also revealed that McCullough was able to drive independently for a distance of approximately 50 miles, from her home in Charlotte to a church in Rutherfordton, North Carolina, where she apparently served as a pastor.
It also didn’t help that the church, on that same dates, posted a picture of McCullough going down a giant inflatable slide and playing Skee-Ball (with all the bending that requires) with a child.
No wonder New York Life is now suing McCullough to get their money back. It’s not just the damning evidence already mentioned. They did additional surveillance, conducting an independent medical examination, and also found she had requested reimbursements for care on days when the surveillance showed she clearly wasn’t receiving any care.
Their conclusion is that this pastor is defrauding the system.
New York Life likewise now believes McCullough is not now and has not been a Chronically Ill Person and McCullough did not — and still does not — require substantial assistance in performing the [Activities of Daily Living], even though she must, among other things, require such assistance to qualify for benefits under the Policy.
Consequently, McCullough is not currently entitled to benefits under the Policy, and New York Life believes she may not have been entitled to benefits that she previously received under the Policy.
Huh. A pastor who makes a ton of money off of a lie.
It would be more shocking if it didn’t happen so often.
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Good luck paying back that $389,479.00. Maybe Jesus will help you find a way.
Hal, do you have the ability to blur the children in your article's photo? They appear superfluous to your point, to me. If not, no problem. (Smile.)
Good point. I just grabbed the photo from the article.
'Preciate you for caring and acting on that concern, Hal! (Special Smile.)
It is a miracle! She was cured by Facebook.
Facebook is giving up the 'goods' on a lot of foolish people, who post there! It's evidence, too!
Another fine example of how the Lord helps those who help themselves. hahahahahaha
This woman is a religious leader, a representative of her house of worship and her religion and of her God that she worships - correct ?
could someone please explain this to me - was she following her God ? if she wasn't - how'd she become a religious leader at her house of worship ? i have many questions about this.
It seems to me that this woman doesn't believe in the god she preaches about at all. How could she? I would have to label her as the worst kind of atheist - the type that would pretend to be religious just to take advantage of those who are.
then that leads me to the question - if, in your opinion, she doesn't believe in the God that she preaches -- then how did she become a religious leader in her house of worship ? wouldn't others have known or figured out that she was phony when she was trying to become a religious leader ? i have been told many times that "morals" come from religion - yet this representative doesn't seem to have good morals derived from her religious leanings - do you agree or disagree ?
wouldn't others have known or figured out that she was phony when she was trying to become a religious leader ?
Who knows how this woman acts around the congregation. I feel like being religious and in a house of worship would make you that much more gullible to a person like that.
i wonder if that should or would make a difference or not... and if it does - why does it make a difference ? from what i'm told - the God that she worships is everywhere and always watching so i would think she'd act the same no matter where she was... maybe not ? just leads me to many more questions...
i could see that, unfortunately.
Hi Hal! People of all stripes are vulnerable to con people. The Church is told to be wise as 'the serpent' who slithers into its mist. Moreover, this woman's deceit, if I understand the article right, is not against the Church or her flock, but against a private enterprise. Her pretense as shown here is real. She should step down from leadership and go fix herself! This lady, as soon as she became seriously in violation of the terms of her procedure should have informed the Agency to see the appropriate way forward. Her 'flock' may never have known of this, but for exposure.
NOTE: How she expected to continue in the pulpit publicly should have been suspect, also.
It's against morality in general.
Hi Pheonyx13, she clearly had a sense of entitlement based on this exposure. The New Testament lists the qualifications (guidelines) of a leader in the Church. I will share the relevant section here:
I purposely deleted the end of (7) the last sentence, but I will put it here for emphasis: ". . .so that [s] he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap ." The 'trap' set mentioned here is when a leader neglects to self-correct. Once she was clear, assuming she was clear-minded enough to know, she no longer qualified for benefits, she should have remembered her vow of service. Instead, she lingered, giving officials time to question her true need and intent. Thus, surveillance began.
i see what you are saying and its rather interesting - she was a religious leader so obviously she had to be above reproach, not a lover of money and worthy of full respect -- or she couldn't have made it to become a religious leader in her Church, right ? yet... this is a result... why wasn't it stopped ? it leads to many questions that i would honestly ask (not out of cruelty or anything) but i know that the religious would never honestly answer.. but thank you anyway for your time
How can you say that? Don't over-generalize. More importantly, realize that some answers about faith require acceptance - particularly from those who do not comprehend what living in faith is.
You asked a great question about how she became a faith leader in the first place. Two points:
All and more of this is possible. Remember Christians are practicing faithfulness—we are not perfected.
My point, as I stated, her congregation probably did not know of her appropriations until it was revealed, publicly. In this manner, the Church is not liable for her conduct. Unless, they keep her in her post, instead of returning her to the rank and file for further spiritual development. Now, as to "general morality," what you mean is community standards, no?
i can easily say that since religion is a very emotional subject for the majority of people and they don't normally talk about it from a strictly logical outside point of view. Are you stating you'd be able to talk about in a non-emotional manner ?
so you expect me to just "accept" answers and not question certain things concerning "faith" ? you are welcome to "live in faith", i gladly defend your right to do so - but i don't have to just "blindly" accept it, i'm allowed to pose questions and question "faith" in general just as you are allowed to live in that faith.
so you are stating that Church leaders had no way of knowing that this person was deceptive when they decided to put her in a position of authority in her Church ? or do "deception" and "cheating people" only rear their ugly heads well into years of ministry life ?
So i suppose you are stating that this pastor in the story just recently became deceitful ? Please clarify, explain it clearly.
I absolutely agree with that - hardship can change a person's outlook, yet somehow in 6 years no one from her Church ever caught on ? no word from her God about it ? this was happening since 2010 and was only caught in 2016 - meanwhile she was still a religious leader the entire time, right ?
if you are practicing faithfulness - then do it. stating "we are not perfected" is just an excuse for not practicing faithfulness and allows people to not practice faithfulness while feeling good about it still. Right now that statement is just a way to excuse this person for her crimes simply because she happens to be a religious leader.
Phoenyx13, your partial comment below is why I wrote above to 'ward' against: Idle Argument.
What is your "McCollough" solution: She should be casted into outer darkness?! /s
i apologize in advance - i've never been good at blindly following anyone/anything without asking questions and seeing if it makes any logical sense (at least to me anyway - i still hold the same viewpoint that people are free to believe whatever they wish and i will defend their right to be able to believe in whatever they wish)
sounds like you are trying to excuse her since she is a religious leader when you state:
or when you state:
they are above reproach as religious leaders, right ? (you stated this in 4.1.6) so if you are above reproach (meaning: address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.) then you don't have the luxury of "practicing" anything including faith anymore - you are living it, you are the living example of it or you become a contradiction since you wouldn't be above reproach.
flesh is absolutely imperfect - so i suppose your religion shouldn't have any religious leaders since those leaders will never be above reproach and the best any of them can do is "practice" their faith, correct ?
its not for me to decide - i'm not apart of her religion nor a member of her house of worship. Perhaps the God she believes in should hand down a sentence ? was there a sign that her God was even paying attention ?
4.1.6 calbab replied to Phoenyx13 @ 4.1.1
Hi Pheonyx13, she clearly had a sense of entitlement based on this exposure. The New Testament lists the qualifications (guidelines) of a leader in the Church. I will share the relevant section here:
I purposely deleted the end of (7) the last sentence, but I will put it here for emphasis: ". . .so that [s] he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap ." The 'trap' set mentioned here is when a leader neglects to self-correct. Once she was clear, assuming she was clear-minded enough to know, she no longer qualified for benefits, she should have remembered her vow of service. Instead, she lingered, giving officials time to question her true need and intent. Thus, surveillance began.
This is my post 4.1.6. The red lettering implies Ms. McCullough did not remember her vow of service. Thus, she failed the bolded points as the case may fully determine. I'm sorry, you chose to 'rag' on this, and pull it all out of proportion.
But okay, after this I will take the 'hit' and move on.
i can't state that i agree with that since she still remained a religious leader the entire time this went on - so she was still "living" her faith, correct ?
Everything she owns should be seized and liquidated to help repay that money.
There are plenty religious "evil-doers" and "performers" out there of all stripes!
She should have asked the "reverend" Al Sharpton for some pointers on how he pulled off his scams before sliding down her own scamming path.
Reverend Sharpton has nothing to do with this, Jasper. Unless, you have evidence he does.
I used him as a comparison to what Cynthia McCullough allegedly did (scamming, lying, etc) and even quoted from the introduction. Your point?
Reverend Sharpton is not and never has been a pastor (leader of a flock) to my knowledge. His 'church' is the Civil Rights movement-including all its misunderstandings and hatred for those who dare to step forward. Besides, why cast aspersion? Reverend Sharpton is a 'talking point' that never stops giving for certain groups. What Ms. McCullough allegedly has done is sufficient enough for us to discuss without dragging an 'old saw' into it, in my opinion!
I'm not defending the woman, OK? But maybe she has an ailment that has good days and bad days, and while she can't move around much on the bad days, she is still lucky enough to have a few good days where she can. I'm always felt guilty using my disabled parking permit when I'm having a good day, but also realize that just because I feel pretty good right this minute, by the time I get into a store and push a cart from one end to the other, I will desperately need a shorter walking distance, and help loading my groceries... Granted, no one following me around will find me dropping my cane to go play tennis, but sometimes I do better than at others.
By the way, if you're looking for a cane, the Hurry Cane is really a great cane! I love the fact that it sort of grips the ground, even when it's uneven. I have yet to figure out how to carry my purse and manage my cane well. I'll keep experimenting and maybe I'll come up with a purse that doesn't overbalance me, or bang against my weak leg...
I understand your point perfectly, friend Dowser. "Good days and bad days." Oh Lordy! I think the Agency followed her and scoped out her Facebook long enough to get sufficient evidence of violation of contract. Not only will she be required to make restitution should she lose this sue, she may lose her Carrier! I wish her the best, nevertheless. We may not get to read the outcome of the suit. (Smile.)
I know there are people who purposefully lie to park closer, but a lot of people don't. I certainly don't, and there are days when I just don't go out, because I can't walk that short distance to the car, pushing a heavy cart, and have the strength to drive away. I'm trying to get pneumonia right now, fluid on my lungs and heart, and feel like someone pulled me through a knot-hole. Getting a bit better every day, but eeeeeek. I wouldn't dream of going shopping today!
Have you thought about a light weight back pack? Mine was a god send when I had to use the walker.
Please take care of yourself. We want you around for a lot more good days
Friend Dowser, I shop around on Youtube to find songs which somehow capture the moment. And well, I hope this touches you in a mighty way. Sometimes Spirit can fall on us and make everything just a little better. If you are able to, please listen to this gentleman singing "I Won't Complain" in the aisles of this store:
Be blessed, my friend! Be blessed!
I watch my dear mother who now "enjoys" her cane, if you will allow me such foolishness, at every occasion outdoors, and sometimes indoors. Several times I asked her about that weighty shoulder bag. I worry that it is must bother her shoulder muscles and put a crease there. She pays me no mind. Doesn't utter a single sound or word. And that purse continues on her journeys. I take it to mean it is her pride and joy to have everything she needs when she wants it as has been her way all her life. (Smile.)
I understand just a little bit more now.
For years and years, I've been able to live with just my purse for a couple of weeks... It's handy, and I need it. Back in the day when I was young and strong, I kept a few extra items of clothing in there, like fresh underwear and a t shirt, etc. A book to read, my Amazon bookthing, etc. No room any more as I tried to cut the weight back. But, I still need all my medications and they're handier with me.
Canes can be fun, for sure. I keep mine by the bed, and tap the dogs to get them to move over when I need to get up to the bathroom... They hate it, but a gentle prod gets them out of my way.
Thanks! That is a great song! This is what I hear in my head, as I tootle down the grocery aisles:
Dear friend Trout! Thank you!
I love it. A band of piccolos, soprano clarinets, and saxes galore! Spirited tunes, that you! I "heart" that very much! (SPECIAL SMILE.)
I have had occasional periods to use a cane in my life, though we are not fully dedicated to each other—yet. How that cane surprised me! It eased all of my troubles which caused me to consider asking for it in the first place! I will always look favorably on a cane, my former one was good to me. And, I have it safely stowed up, "just in case."
From the movie Hatari, starring John Wayne, Red Buttons, and a whole host of well knowns... GREAT song, and cheerful!
Needs an oboe in there
From Henri Mancini, the composer of The Pink Panther, Moon River, etc. I love Henri Mancini!
This is very possible. Fibromyalgia and MS come to mind.
It certainly is!
I suggest a fanny pack.
Not big enough... I carry a lot of stuff for my "in case" medicines. You just don't know what you're going to need, until you need it. Aspirin, Alleve, Vent-Air, Ventalin, (one works on one kind of allergen and the others work on other kinds...), my cleanup bottle, toothbrush, Sinex nose spray, Sudafed, checkbook, list of medications, phone numbers & doctor's names, my DNR order, chap stick, compact, phone, etc. There isn't a lot of extra room in my small purse.
How about two then. One in front and one in back and it would be more balanced. Use one for just your meds. The one I use has a big compartment and a smaller one. It also has rear storage area. Mine can hold a lot of stuff.
I need to keep looking. I've not been having much luck finding a new one!
Wait, I know I have a little bit of surprise somewhere.....Nope.
ALL religion is nothing more than a con, imo. It was created for the purpose of manipulating and controlling people that lived spread out in wide ranging geographical areas. When it was discovered how successful it was manipulating large masses of people it was modified to make sure it made certain populations subservient.
It does have it's benefits. It's a great place for the older generation to go to maintain their social relationships and it brings them peace as they are nearing the end.
Otherwise, it's just as corrupt if not more so than any other for profit power hungry organization.
Some people require a book to help them distinguish between right and wrong.....I don't.
"Some people" do. However, to be clear, thinking believers have so much more to 'it" than your statement nuances. For example, believers come out of the same system of right and wrong as yourself, on the way to faith later in life.
I wish you well with your faith.