{
  "story_id": "cb3a9931923d74b1e72209e25da1b038",
  "desk": "drm3",
  "revision": 1,
  "published_at": "2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z",
  "content_hash": "c138f72ce5d55f37640508dc4823161aee7f69f043b22409a89c3faffa962aea",
  "hash_basis": "sha256 over `headline\\ndek\\nprose`, plus `\\n` + the canonical citations JSON when any source is placed, plus `\\n#blog` for blogs",
  "basis": {
    "headline": "Over $1.6 Million Stolen from UMC New England via Cyberattack",
    "dek": "Criminals posing as bank officials stole over $1.6 million from the UMC New England Conference via a cyberattack.",
    "prose": "More than $1.6 million in funds was reportedly stolen from the UMC New England Conference by criminals posing as bank representatives. [^1]\n\nCriminals impersonating bank representatives stole over $1.6 million from a regional body of The United Methodist Church in a sophisticated cyberattack. [^2]\n\nNew England Bishop Thomas Bickerton wrote on August 13, 2026, that the money was stolen from the conference's operating account by individuals who posed as bank representatives. [^3]\n\nThe criminals successfully completed multiple wire transfers of church funds to assorted global accounts after gaining access to the conference's online banking system. [^4]\n\nThe UMC New England Conference is working with authorities to investigate a cybersecurity incident that occurred on August 5, 2026. [^5]\n\nNew England Bishop Thomas Bickerton and Treasurer Lonnie Chafin of the UMC New England Conference addressed the theft in a joint letter issued on August 13, 2026. [^6]\n\nThe reported cyberattack incident took place on August 5, 2026, according to The Christian Post. [^7]",
    "cited": "[{\"statement\":\"More than $1.6 million in funds was reportedly stolen from the UMC New England Conference by criminals posing as bank representatives.\",\"source\":\"The Christian Post\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Christian Post\"]},{\"statement\":\"Criminals impersonating bank representatives stole over $1.6 million from a regional body of The United Methodist Church in a sophisticated cyberattack.\",\"source\":\"Crosswalk\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"Crosswalk\"]},{\"statement\":\"New England Bishop Thomas Bickerton wrote on August 13, 2026, that the money was stolen from the conference's operating account by individuals who posed as bank representatives.\",\"source\":\"The Christian Post\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Christian Post\"]},{\"statement\":\"The criminals successfully completed multiple wire transfers of church funds to assorted global accounts after gaining access to the conference's online banking system.\",\"source\":\"The Christian Post\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Christian Post\"]},{\"statement\":\"The UMC New England Conference is working with authorities to investigate a cybersecurity incident that occurred on August 5, 2026.\",\"source\":\"The Christian Post\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Christian Post\"]},{\"statement\":\"New England Bishop Thomas Bickerton and Treasurer Lonnie Chafin of the UMC New England Conference addressed the theft in a joint letter issued on August 13, 2026.\",\"source\":\"Crosswalk\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"Crosswalk\"]},{\"statement\":\"The reported cyberattack incident took place on August 5, 2026, according to The Christian Post.\",\"source\":\"Crosswalk\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"Crosswalk\"]}]",
    "kind": "news"
  },
  "receipt_verify": "Ed25519 over the dot-joined string `slice_hash.cursor_from.cursor_to.view.view_version.row_count`; public_key and sig are base64url of the raw 32-byte key / 64-byte signature",
  "receipt": null,
  "receipt_note": "this revision predates receipt-keeping (before v0.37.0); the filed row lives in the record",
  "generation_chain": {
    "wire": {
      "stream": "fountain_news",
      "story_id": "653bdbdd40dab03585148d19e9c19fa2",
      "thread_id": "2e4a3230cd4f9ffdcf7f405b64f71393",
      "thread_label": "Thomas Bickerton",
      "novelty": "UPDATE",
      "content_hash": "5d456a9649794f758e1a7f22381902d3eb97ddb838fdf17f47526f34dfa61eac",
      "last_published_at": "2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z",
      "read_receipt": {
        "slice_hash": "48b2e0c3af4a8626da2fc811245788ff6e4271281efe8c00f25b0b05bb9edcc0",
        "cursor_from": "eyJ0cyI6IjIwMjYtMDktMDJUMTM6MjE6NDUuMDAwMDAwWiIsImlkIjoiY2FjYjg1OTkyMDViN2I3MWM0YzhmYmUyYWMyZDA1OWYiLCJ2IjoiMSJ9",
        "cursor_to": "eyJ0cyI6IjIwMjYtMDktMDJUMTM6NTU6MDUuMDAwMDAwWiIsImlkIjoiYWNhYmYyOWI5NzVlYzQwOTE2ZmQ0ODdhYWJiMGRmZGIiLCJ2IjoiMSJ9",
        "view": "v_fountain_news",
        "view_version": "1",
        "row_count": 100,
        "window_days": 3,
        "bytes_scanned": 10113494,
        "credits": 8,
        "price_per_100_rows": 8,
        "sig": "1xwVD3uooFyxoSm6LPZf4A-bZFY74_s3o2sTcCuvLGZGzHvwRVCTx4NMLW2iH70kOvIw6hJoMKWNufYnsOQvDw",
        "public_key": "bMUigy8O0jOnBxQ4Sc-5lwhIZ8LQVAhxMbR7qESVuUE",
        "signer_path": "lakehouse/data-extract/v1",
        "alg": "Ed25519",
        "signed": true
      }
    },
    "written_at": "2026-09-03T00:31:34.632Z"
  },
  "cited_facts": [
    {
      "statement": "More than $1.6 million in funds was reportedly stolen from the UMC New England Conference by criminals posing as bank representatives.",
      "source": "The Christian Post",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Christian Post"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "Criminals impersonating bank representatives stole over $1.6 million from a regional body of The United Methodist Church in a sophisticated cyberattack.",
      "source": "Crosswalk",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "Crosswalk"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "New England Bishop Thomas Bickerton wrote on August 13, 2026, that the money was stolen from the conference's operating account by individuals who posed as bank representatives.",
      "source": "The Christian Post",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Christian Post"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "The criminals successfully completed multiple wire transfers of church funds to assorted global accounts after gaining access to the conference's online banking system.",
      "source": "The Christian Post",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Christian Post"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "The UMC New England Conference is working with authorities to investigate a cybersecurity incident that occurred on August 5, 2026.",
      "source": "The Christian Post",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-01T17:51:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Christian Post"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "New England Bishop Thomas Bickerton and Treasurer Lonnie Chafin of the UMC New England Conference addressed the theft in a joint letter issued on August 13, 2026.",
      "source": "Crosswalk",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "Crosswalk"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "The reported cyberattack incident took place on August 5, 2026, according to The Christian Post.",
      "source": "Crosswalk",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-02T13:33:00.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "Crosswalk"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "note": "A signature proves who filed this and that it has not changed since. It never makes a claim true."
}