Catholic missing money index

Our Lady of La Vang, Norfolk, Virginia

2012-01-21T12:52:00.000-05:00

In the Commonwealth of Virginia, there exists an Alford Plea, whereby a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that the commonwealth has enough evidence for conviction at trial. Apparently, an older priest from Viet Nam pastored two churches, Our Lady of La Vang in Norfolk, Virginia, and Our Lady of Vietnam in nearby Hampton. Both are in the diocese of Richmond, where the bishop is Francis X. DiLorenzo.
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A link explaining how the priest was caught by an audit, and how he made restitution is here, to an article in the Virginian-Pilot, dated 1.20.2012. Submitting an Alford Plea, he received a suspended prison sentence for embezzling about $84,000.

St. Matthew, Oak Creek, Wisconsin

2011-12-28T17:42:00.001-05:00

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported on 12.27.2011 the arrest of a secretary at St. Matthew parish in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The charge is felony theft of about $217,000 taken over perhaps seven years, chiefly through a bookkeeping scam involving merchant "script." The article linked here explains much. The parish website includes a statement by the pastor.
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St. Matthew's parish dates back to the 1840's. Oak Creek is on the shore of Lake Michigan about eight miles south of Milwaukee. The parish has an elementary school.

St. Isidore, Danville, California

2011-12-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

The town of Danville, California, lies in the San Ramon Valley, east of Oakland. Three lay people stand accused of stealing (by credit card and check fraud) about $580,000 from the parish of St. Isidore. One person was member of the parish financial council, the other two employees of the parish.
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The accusation of embezzlement was reported in the San Francisco Chronicle of May 3, 2011, linked here.
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How quickly the District Attorney and court in Contra Costa County has adjudicated these three cases! The accusations were made public in May, the three sentences applied and some restitution collected by December.
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First settled was the case of a parish bookkeeper, who entered a "No contest" plea. Since her May 2, 2011, arrest, she spent 101 days in jail, to be included in the 300 days of the sentence. Also, she must make restitution of $425,000. Two others at first pleaded not guilty, but later changed their plea.
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The Danville Express of 9.20.2011 reports that the former facilities manager pleaded "No contest" in a deal that reduced his charges from felony to misdemeanor, one count of petty theft. Of the $68,802 he was accused of stealing, he will have to repay $30,000. His sentence includes no jail, but three years of probation. Link here.
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The total amount missing somehow dropped to $360,000.
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The Danville Express of 12.8.2011 reported that the third and final suspect, a volunteer at the parish, has been sentenced to 180 days in jail. She has already paid about $83,000 in restitution. Link here.

St. Michael the Archangel, Greenwich, Ct

2011-12-10T11:10:00.001-05:00

Please excuse a rambling post, subject to more editing. I am in the process of reworking an older post.
Michael Moynihan, a former pastor of the parish of St. Michael the Archangel in upscale Greenwich, Connecticut, has pleaded guilty to a single count in federal court, as related in this article from The Greenwich Time. He could win up to twenty years in jail time for fibbing to the FBI. Apparently, the charge of stealing from the parish was dropped, perhaps because the proving this charge was easier.
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In 2007 or 2008, a local bank tipped off the feds that the pastor was withdrawing large sums from a parish account. It turns out there were two secret parish accounts of which Bishop Lori of Bridgeport had not been notified. Then the New York Post revealed the ex-pastor's living arrangement. Articles soon gave a fuller disclosure from the diocese of what their audits found. It is said that his ordination by John Paul II is or was depicted in a stained glass window in the sacristy of the parish's St. Christopher chapel up north near the Merritt Parkway.

St. Mary's Academy, Longmeadow, Mass.

2011-11-25T21:34:00.001-05:00

In the diocese of Springfield in central Massachusetts, the District Attorney of Hampden County has accused a volunteer at St. Mary's Academy of stealing more than $250 from the academy. The diocesan audit came up with a figure of $30,000 missing, apparently through the use of gift cards. Please see the 11.16.2011 report by a local television station , linked here.
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St. Mary's Academy is one of fifteen elementary schools in the diocese. It appears to be affiliated with St. Mary's Parish, Longmeadow.

Immaculate Conception, Natchitoches, La.

2011-11-25T21:23:00.001-05:00

Natchitoches, Louisiana, is about sixty miles northwest of the cathedral city of Alexandria. Louisiana State Police have arrested the pastor of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Natchitoches, upon suspicion of theft of more than $250,000 in church funds. This has been reported by several news outlets, including the Opelousas Daily World, linked here.
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The parish website is linked here. The basilica was once a cathedral.

St. Patrick, Traverse City, Michigan

2011-11-10T21:13:00.001-05:00

A northern Michigan website reports here that an arrest warrant has been issued against a former business manager of St. Patrick's parish, Traverse City (or County?), Michigan. The amount allegedly stolen is over $72,000. The link above goes to the website of local Traverse City CBS affiliates, radio and television.

St. Mary, Charlevoix, Michigan

2011-11-06T21:23:00.000-05:00

Charlevoix is a small city in northern Michigan with a single parish, St. Mary's. Its school includes classes from pre-kindergarten to grade 6. Unfortunately, since the principal resigned last year, she has been accused by the county prosecutor of five counts of embezzlement and two counts of perjury. The amount missing from the school accounts is above $100,000. Please see the 11.1.2011 article from the Charlevoix Courier linked here.

St. Patrick, Wilmington, Delaware

2011-11-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

On November 4, 2011, a judge of the New Castle County Superior Court in Wilmington, Delaware, sentenced a priest, Cornelius Breslin, to what amounts to three years in jail for stealing from two parishes. The Washington Examiner, in an article linked here, explains how the sentencing came about, apparently ten years minus seven. The reports in Wilmington newspapers appear here and here.
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In downtown Wilmington, Delaware, St. Patrick's parish apparently has the older parish of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception under its care. A mile separates them. According to this report on Delaware On Line, dated 2.3.2011, about $358,000 was missing from the accounts of the two parishes. At first, the pastor pleaded "Not guilty" to the charges of embezzlement at the New Castle County Courthouse. The diocese of Wilmington has appointed a temporary administrator.
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St. Patrick's has five Masses scheduled on weekends, including one Latin Mass. St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception has one Mass per week, on Sunday.

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On 7.7.2011 it was reported that Fr. Cornelius Breslin pleaded guilty to a single charge of theft of more than $100,000. The link to the news article is here. Gannett offers Delaware On Line as the internet version of the News Journal of Wilmington.

St. Therese, Cresskill, New Jersey

2011-10-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

An article from northjersey.com, linked here, describes the charges of theft against a man who had served as deacon at St. Therese of Lisieux parish in Cresskill, Bergen County, New Jersey. For updates, one might go to Google News and enter search terms therese cresskill.
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Obviously, he is not a former deacon, since that rank is an ordination. The suspect apparently made ATM withdrawals from the parish accounts from 2006 until he resigned in 2010. According to the news report, the archdiocese of Newark discovered the thefts only after a he left for Texas. The amount is $53,000.
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The Archbishop of Newark is John Myers.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Summerlin, Nevada

2011-10-08T09:09:00.000-05:00

According to the Las Vegas, Nevada, Review-Journal, in an article dated 10.7.2011, linked here, the parish of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton has an extraordinary membership of seven thousand families, "one of the largest in Nevada." When its pastor lost his job some months ago, it created a stir in the press, but it was not posted on this blog because there was neither arrest nor indictment at that time.
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The charge was federal: mail fraud, because the pastor mailed annual false statements to his bishop, Joseph Pepe, of the diocese of Las Vegas. The article alludes to mail to the metropolitan, the Archbishop of San Francisco, but that remark is a puzzler. In the guilty plea he submitted even before it went to a grand jury, the priest admitted stealing $650,000. He has agreed to restitution of that amount. He regularly underrepresented the parish income, of which his bishop would receive a tax of 13%. The cathedraticum varies from diocese to diocese.
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On Friday the 13th, 1.13.2012, the federal judge sentenced Msgr. Kevin McAuliffe to 37 months in a federal jail. Several news sources gave extensive coverage, especially about the defense lawyer's use of an expert witness. A link to the Las Vegas Review-Journal of 1.14.2012 is here. An opinion piece in the Las Vegas Sun of 1.14.2012 is linked here. If these links change, as often happens with fresh newspaper articles, entering search terms such as mcauliffe summerlin in Google News might lead to informative links.
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Wikipedia here describes how Summerlin received its name.
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St. Therese, Succasunna, New Jersey

2011-07-30T08:59:00.005-05:00

About 30 miles west of the the cathedral of the diocese of Paterson is St. Therese parish in Succasunna, Morris County, a parish of about 2,600 families. Last year, the diocese suspected theft by the pastor, and it turned the information over to the district attorney. The pastor resigned. On 5.27.2011, the Roxbury Register here explained that the pastor pleaded guilty to stealing $200,000 over years.
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A Gannett newspaper, the Daily Record, published in Piscataway, New Jersey, ran this article on the web 7.29.2011. The guilty plea got Fr. Joseph Davis a jail term of five years, with first possibility of parole after a year and five days. The article has many more details. The sad events were narrated in several newspapers. If the above link ages out, you might try a search on Google News using the string "therese AND succasunna AND theft."
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His bishop is Arthur Serratelli.

St. Leo, Bonita Springs, Florida

2011-07-18T11:34:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, 7.17.2011, the bishop of Venice, Florida, distributed a letter explaining the results of a forensic audit of the parish of St. Leo in Bonita Springs. One of several newspaper articles about this is linked here. (Naples News, July 17, 2011)

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Bishop Frank Dewane's letter appears in the St. Leo Parish Bulletin of 7.17.2011, linked here. The eleven brief paragraphs include a reference to "at least $1 million in unsupported or questionable expenses."

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It would seem that the bishop has not brought a formal complaint to the civil authorities.

Venerini Academy, Worcester, Mass.

2011-06-28T10:39:00.004-05:00

The culprit promised he knew of a wealthy donor. The Sisters went ahead with a $3 million school renovation, but their hopes were based on this man's scam. The Sisters lost about $360,000 to the suspect, now sentenced to two years in jail. Please see this article from the 6.28.2011 Worcester Telegram. Michael Hlady submitted a guilty plea. The court also required restitution $363,320.

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It happened in Worcester, Massachusetts, at the private elementary school, Venerini Academ y. The scam was first reported in the press in April, 2010.

St. Joseph parish, Garrett, Indiana

2011-06-12T18:01:00.003-05:00

The Journal-Gazette of Fort Wayne, Indiana, reported on June 12, 2011, that a bookkeeper of St. Joseph parish in Garrett had pleaded not guilty to her indictment on ten charges connected to theft from her parish: wire fraud and failure to pay taxes. The link is here.

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St. Joseph is the only Catholic parish in Garrett, which is about twenty miles north of Fort Wayne. It is in the diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend.

St. Walter parish, Roselle, DuPage County, Illinois

2011-06-09T11:40:00.007-05:00

The Chicago Tribune, in an article dated August 16, 2011, reports that Fr. John Regan, a priest suspended by the bishop of Joliet, has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and ordered to pay $295,000 in restitution. The article is linked here. The article recounts that the priest was appointed pastor of St. Walter's in 2006 and soon opened a separate account into which he deposited the money as he stole it. (This sounds like yet another instance of a pastor opening an extra account to which he has access.)
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A column in the Chicago Tribune contrasts this sentence with the sentence given in the same county to a larcenous deacon. Link here.
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The Wheaton Daily Herald, in an article dated June 9, 2011, explains what happened in court the same day. The former pastor of St. Walter's parish, Roselle, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to two counts, one of theft, one of continuing a financial crimes enterprise. The link is here. The comments linked to the article are worth consideration, as some discuss giving time, talent, and treasure. Sentencing is scheduled for August. The required restitution is about $410,000.

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On February 5, 2009, the State's Attorney of DuPage County, Illinois, indicted Rev. John Regan, former pastor of St. Walter parish, Roselle, Illinois, on various theft counts. On February 28, he pleaded not guilty. The article linked here contains much more information.
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In the village of Roselle, Illinois, diocese of Joliet, there is one of the few parishes in the United States named for St. Walter. Unfortunately for Fr. Regan, the bank in which the parish (and/or the pastor) had an account noticed unusual transactions and informed the diocese in 2008. Auditors from the diocese looked at the books and suggested that the pastor misappropriated about $112,000 for gambling. According to a July 29, 2008, article in the Chicago Tribune, linkedhere, the bishop placed him on administrative leave.
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According to chicagobreakingnews.com here, Father John Regan was indicted February 5, 2009, in a DuPage County court on nine counts of theft from a house of worship and eleven or twelve other counts. The total apparently is over $300,000. The State's Attorney press release is here. A Chicago NBC story here seems to suggest that the suspect deposited parish checks into his personal account, but the nature of the account needs clarification, which probably will come out in court.
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Since June, 2006, J. Peter Sartain has been bishop of Joliet.
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The Chicago Tribune of February 11, 2009, explains here that Fr. Regan had a bail hearing. His appearance at the hearing was via closed-circuit television, during which he wore "the blaze orange jumpsuit of a Du Page County jail inmate."
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The Chicago Tribune of May 3, 2010, reports that a change of preposition in the charges could lead to more jail time if convicted.
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The Wheaton Daily Herald of April 6, 2011, reports here that a judge has set June 13 as the date for a bench trial. The priest is accused with felony charges of theft, money laundering, and continuing a financial crimes enterprise. He has pleaded not guilty. Among the newspaper's website comments is an interesting one, claiming that a defendant cannot pick which charges to plead guilty to. (From my observation, in some instances overcharging appears to be a tool of prosecutors.) The total is now given as over $400,000.

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The trial was supposed to begin June 6, 2011, but his attorney has now signaled that he will plead guilty June 9. A rather long account is in the Chicago Tribune here.

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St. Patrick, Hudson, Wisconsin

2011-03-22T18:06:00.004-05:00

At the small city of Hudson, the St. Croix River forms the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. An article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune linked here, dated 3.22.2011, narrates that an audit showed that the pastor of St. Patrick's parish in Hudson used about $10,000 from a fund for the needy to fuel a gambling addiction. Noteworthy about this article is the role of two parish trustees in decision-making regarding this misuse of funds, though they may not be independent of the bishop of Superior, Wisconsin.
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On 4.6.2011, the Star-Tribune reported that a charge of felony theft was lodged against this priest in St. Croix County Circuit Court. The article is linked here.
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On 7.8.2011, the Leader-Telegram of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, reported that a judge sentenced Fr. Daniel Dahlberg to two years of deferred prosecution and two years of probation, with several conditions, which may be found in the article linked here. The bishop of Superior has placed him on administrative leave.

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Iona College, New Rochelle, New York

2011-03-10T11:21:00.001-05:00

For several years, Sister Marie Thornton, C.S.J., was the chief financial officer at Iona College, located in New Rochelle, New York. On Ash Wednesday, 3.9.2011, she pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to embezzlement of more than $850,000 from the college. News of the guilty plea has appeared in several sources, including lohud.com and the Wall Street Journal, but as these newspapers quickly move items to fee-based archives, it would be better to use search terms thornton and iona to find the reports.
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Reuters reports here that a judge of the U. S. District court in Manhattan has sentenced her on 11.8.2011 to 2,000 hours of community service. She must also repay $350,000 she used for gambling. See the link for how the rest of the loss is to be repaid.
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Below, I have pasted an older version of this story from this blog:
This may be a case of keeping quiet about embezzlement. The Journal News, a Gannett newspaper of Westchester county, New York, reported on its website lohud.com that Iona College suffered a loss of more than $800,000 over the course of years through theft. The employee lost his or her job, but the matter apparently was not reported to the local police. The newspaper said that the Chronicle of Higher Education found this loss reported by Iona in its tax filing. The college was founded in 1940 by the Irish Christian Brothers, more recently named the Congregation of Christian Brothers.
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The Journal News followed up the story on 10.22.2010 in an article titled, "Iona's silence on theft angers donor, alum." As the archives of the Journal News quickly move into a fee section, you may have to find other reports through searches on Google News.
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Iona College has a new president.
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Sister is a Philadelphia Josephite.

St. Bernard parish, Watertown, Wisconsin

2011-02-24T16:04:00.004-05:00

Watertown is about thirty miles west of Milwaukee. When this story first appeared last year, one report said that the misuse of parish funds came to light when bills went unpaid. Another story said that parish laity looked at the books and reported the problem to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. However, the now-former pastor of St. Bernard's parish, not only took parish funds and placed them in a Nigerian get-rich-quick scheme, but somehow persuaded some parishioners to do likewise. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel account of 2.23.2011 gives an extensive summary, and it is linked here.
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The Watertown Daily Times has a report dated 2.23.2011 and linked here.

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The two articles report different jail terms: 6 months in the J-S, 9 months in the WDT. Also, the Watertown paper calls the defendant "a former priest," rather than a priest formerly at St. Bernard's. The restitution amount seems to be about $170,000 total.
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The parish website is linked here.

St. Anthony of Padua, Reading, Pa.

2011-02-09T20:13:00.003-05:00

In the course of four years, I have come upon about 130 published incidents of missing money from parishes or other Catholic organizations in the United States. The tally is displayed on the list of labels to the right. Today's report from Reading, Pennsylvania, is a first. The pastor, it seems, requested a leave of absence. When he did not return, a diocesan audit found more than $400,000 missing from the parish accounts. The story, dated 2.10.2011 in the Reading Eagle is linked here. (Thanks to the person who told me the link needed correction. )
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Millmont seems to be a neighborhood in Reading.
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As happens too often in other reports, the Eagle turned a statement into "N. is no longer a priest" without the "with faculties" or "in good standing" qualifier.
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Note how parish funds can be hidden in other accounts. It seems that full disclosure is needed at all levels.

St. Mary, West Chicago, Illinois

2011-02-07T22:27:00.005-05:00

The Chicago Tribune of 2.7.2011 has run a news article headlined "Deacon gets 6 years for stealing from parish." The link for the sentencing of the accused embezzler at St. Mary's, West Chicago, Illinois, is here

Thefts from the accounts of St. Mary's parish were discovered during 2009 during the auditing that has become standard practice when a new pastor is appointed. The article says that the accused is a deacon, but I have not seen any reference to his ordination or pastoral role except as business manager.
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The parish website is linked here. West Chicago is about 35 miles west of The Loop.

St. John the Baptist, Haverhill, Massachusetts

2011-01-11T19:35:00.002-05:00

The Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence, Massachusetts, provided more detail (dated 1.11.2011) about the alleged theft that happened over a period of time at St. John the Baptist parish, Haverhill. The pastor, apparently, was the only one counting the collections, and he is charged with using various means to transfer about $83,000 to himself. The link to the article is here.
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Previous news from 2010:
According to a Boston Globe story of 10.4.2010, linked here, a former pastor of St. John the Baptist parish, Haverhill, Massachusetts, was issued a summons to face charges for larceny over $250 and fraud. Note that the Globe credits the Eagle Tribune of Lawrence, Massachusetts. The parish website is linked here.

Our Lady of the Angels, Cheektowaga, N.Y.

2010-11-26T12:05:00.004-05:00

The Buffalo News of 11.17.2010 reported here that the cafeteria manager of Our Lady of Angels parish school, Cheektowaga, pleaded guilty to charges of stealing about $39,000 during her job there over the course of six years. Sentencing is scheduled for March, 2007.

St. Thomas More, Withamsville, Ohio

2010-11-26T04:54:00.003-05:00

The parish of St. Thomas More in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and located about 20 miles east of that city suffered a loss of about $25,000 from its July Fest, according to this article posted by the Community Press. The suspect is a volunteer who handled money collected at this summer event. The county prosecutor's office announced an upcoming arraignment on charges.

St. Jerome parish, Waco, Texas

2010-11-25T21:13:00.003-05:00

On March 4, 2009, an article was posted on the website of the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald. A youth counselor who also was a parish bookkeeper somehow gained access to the pastor's signature and parish accounts, using it to pay some of her own bills. The charge is theft of between $100,000 and $200,000. The parish is that of St. Jerome, website here. It is in the diocese of Austin.
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On March 18, 2010, KWTX.com (channel 10 television in Waco) reported that the woman above (now described as Director of Religious Education) has been indicted by a McLennon County grand jury. The charge is theft, the amount apparently about $120,000. A link to the story is here.
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On November 22, 2010, KWTX.com reported that the suspect pleaded guilty. Sentencing will be in January, 2011. A link to the story is here.
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On January 17, 2011, KTWX.com reported that the accused has been sentence to six months in jail, beginning immediately. A rather full story is linked here.

Bishop Hoffman Schools, Fremont, Ohio

2010-11-25T20:49:00.004-05:00

It appears that for the school year beginning in September, 2010, the Diocese of Toledo rearranged the Catholic schools of Fremont, Ohio, creating a Bishop Hoffman School in three buildings from Pre-K through 12. However, some money went missing from one of the units, and a now-former principal had to bargain the charges against her down to a misdemeanor. She entered a guilty plea and paid restitution of $11,000. The Fremont News-Messenger article of 11.23.2010 explains the plea bargain here.

Word of God cluster, Swissvale, Pa.

2010-11-14T09:58:00.001-05:00

The borough of Swissvale lies about nine miles east of downtown Pittsburgh. One of the Catholic parishes there is Word of God, the pastor of which was recently removed for allegedly taking church funds for his own use. An article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review of 11.14.2010, linked here, details more. Word of God seems to be the name assigned to a cluster of three parishes: St. Anselm, St. Barnabas, and Visitation.
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An article posted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9.20.2011 says that the priest waved his right to a preliminary hearing and awaits trial. The charge by the Allegheny County district attorney's office is felony theft, with the amount as much as $180,000 stolen from collections. This excludes theft before the eight-year statute of limitations date. The article is linked here.
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Another news report, linked here, explains how auditors in 2009 dropped six ten-dollar bills in the collection basket, having recorded the serial numbers. Only three showed up in the account.

Holy Rosary, Idaho Falls, Idaho

2010-11-08T20:06:00.003-05:00

There is a chance that this admitted theft of about $1,875 from Holy Rosary parish, Idaho Falls, Idaho, is the lowest amount listed in this index. According to the Idaho State Journal of 10.19.2010, linked here, the former bookkeeper took money from the parish. The judge sentenced the person to restitution, 100 hours of community labor, and three years of probation. The above figure results from a plea bargain.

Seton Academy, South Holland, Illinois

2010-11-08T17:08:00.004-05:00

The Southtown Star of 10.20.2010 reported here that the former president of Seton Academy was arrested for theft of more than $20,000 from his school. It appears that soon after he received the post of president in 2008 he began to make unauthorized charges to a school credit card. South Holland is a village about 20 miles south of Chicago, Illinois. Seton Academy is an archdiocesan high school with about 400 students.

St. Vincent de Paul, Stirling, New Jersey

2010-11-03T19:07:00.006-05:00

Apparently the pastor of the parish of St. Vincent de Paul in Stirling, New Jersey, placed some parish money into accounts that were not revealed to his bishop, the bishop of Paterson. He then spent some of the money or gave it away. However, he did not report $63,000 as taxable income. For this reason, three lawyers accompanied him to his guilty plea before a federal judge in Newark. For further details, please see this article from the Newark Star-Ledger of 11.3.2010.
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The median household income in Stirling is about $70,000.
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On 4.26.2011, the Star-Ledger reported that he was sentenced to five months in prison for the tax-evasion figure of $63,000. The prosecutor still claims the amount taken was much higher, but he could not prove it. The link is here.

Interval Home, Akron, Ohio

2010-10-23T18:40:00.004-05:00

On October 20, 2010, a U.S. District Court imposed a sentence of one day in jail and combined fine and restitution of $4,000,000 against Father Samuel Ciccolini, who founded and operated the Interval Brotherhood Home (for treatment of alcohol and drug addictions) in Akron, Ohio. The Catholic News Service narrates the crime and judgment here. Other media have also carried the story.
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Note that the federal charges were the evasion of banking regulations and filing a false tax return.

St. John the Baptist, Haverhill, Massachusetts

2010-10-06T09:11:00.004-05:00

According to a Boston Globe story of 10.4.2010, linked here, a former pastor of St. John the Baptist parish, Haverhill, Massachusetts, was issued a summons to face charges for larceny over $250 and fraud. Note that the Globe credits the Eagle Tribune of Lawrence, Massachusetts. The parish website is linked here.

St. John Vianney, Brookfield, Wisconsin

2010-09-24T07:05:00.003-05:00

A hacker managed to steal $121,000 from a parish account, but some of it has been retrieved. Please see the Milwaukee Sentinel account published 9.23.2010, linked here.
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The same parish suffered theft in a different way two years ago. Please see the post here.

St. John's University, New York

2010-09-17T06:23:00.002-05:00

A former administrator at St. John's University, Jamaica, New York, was charged in court September 15, 2010, of embezzling about $1,000,000 from the university. Please see the New York Times article here.

Diocese of DesMoines, Iowa

2010-08-28T10:04:00.005-05:00

Hackers somehow withdrew more than $600,000 from an account of the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, at Bankers Trust. The Des Moines Register story is linked here. At the moment, the suspicion is that foreign thieves got into the diocesan computers and stole the funds. Bankers Trust says their computers were not hacked.

St. Gregory Barbarigo, Garnerville, NY

2010-08-22T11:11:00.008-05:00

Catholic New York is owned by the Archdiocese of New York. In a post dated August 12, 2010, the newspaper reveals a problem that may have escaped first notice by the newspapers that report Rockland County (N.Y.) news. Apparently, the parish financial council asked for an archdiocesan audit, and the pastor returned whatever money was missing. He resigned. "The matter is pending with the district attorney." Location: Parish of St. Gregory Barbarigo, Garnersville, Town of Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York.
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Seven months later, the story appears in several newspapers. The account in the Journal News of April 2, 2011, is linked here. (Links to lohud.com sometimes move behind a fee wall. One might search for barbarigo garnersville theft in Google News for other sources.) It seems that the pastor was using a parish credit card for internet gambling, among other expenses. Although he repaid the funds, a criminal charge has been made against him: one count of third-degree larceny.
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On June 6, 2011, the former pastor pleaded guilty to a single charge of third degree grand larceny and admitted stealing $23,000. The archdiocese says he has made restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for July 25, 2011.
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Several local newspapers and the Wall Street Journal reported that the priest was sentenced to five years of probation. The archdiocese said that he would probably be reassigned as associate pastor somewhere where he would not have a hand in finances.

St. Pascal School, Chicago

2010-08-06T18:21:00.004-05:00

According to chicagobreakingnews.com, a fundraising coordinator at St. Pascal parish elementary school in the Portage Park neighborhood of northwest Chicago, stands accused of stealing more than $51,000 from the tuition fund over the course of seven years. The theft involved the purchase of gift cards. An August 4, 2010, article is linked here.

Winona, Minn., Parent Teacher Partnership

2010-07-31T20:45:00.004-05:00

This item appeared on the website of the Winona Daily News 7.31.2010. No charges have yet been filed, but a person who wrote checks for the Winona (Minnesota) Area Catholic Schools Parent Teachers Partnership may have written $15,000 unauthorized checks for her business or herself. The catch to this story is that a previous officer of the organization served jail time for embezzling $787,000.
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The accused person pleaded not guilty according to this report in the Winona Daily News of 3.17.2011. Investigators found about $6,700 in unauthorized checks (resulting in four charges), and there are questions about other disbursements.

St. John Vianney parish, Brookfield, Wisconsin

2010-07-17T20:54:00.003-05:00

http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/98450624.html

On July 17, 2010, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website (linked here) offered the most recent chapter in the saga of Fr. Leonard Van Vlaenderen. Previous details are narrated below. It seems that he has been sentenced to 100 days in the county work release jail, which may allow him to live at home. This account points up the different between the amount of money missing (nearly $128,000) and the amount that was traced to his theft ($9,300). This is not the first time I have encountered a history of embezzlement wherein the prosecutor did not trace every dime but rather enough to make a charge stick.
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Arrested in 2008 on a cocaine charge, the pastor of the thriving parish of St. John Vianney in Brookfield, Wisconsin, has been replaced. Because of the possibility of theft from the parish funds, the diocese ran an audit and turned the results over to the city police and the insurer.
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On January 22, 2009, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website carried an important story. The archdiocesan audit notes that the weekly cash collection dropped whenever the suspect was present as pastor and rose when he was away. Over the course of three years, the estimated loss was $128,000. An insurer paid $120,000 of this. In 2001, before the suspect became pastor, the loose cash (cash not in donor's envelopes) in the weekly collection was running about $775 weekly. The total collection (checks, cash in donors' envelopes, and loose cash) of 1.11.2009 is $30,755, presumably mostly in checks. The parish bulletin shows an extraordinarily spirited parish. See the parish website here and click on the bulletin link. Brookfield is about ten miles west of Milwaukee. It is obvious that the real wealth of these Christians is faith and good works.
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Archdiocesan audits not only protect the parishioners, but they also supervise the cash flow from the parish to the Archbishop. I wonder whether the parishioners learn the details of every transfer to him.
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On 4.2.2010, the Journal-Sentinel of Milwaukee posted an account of a charge against the former pastor, a single count of felony theft. Apparently, he had asked a parishioner to use her credit card for several purchases, which he thereupon had her return for credit. However, he used the receipts to get reimbursement from the parish.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Salina, Kansas

2010-07-17T13:10:00.003-05:00

In Kansas, the Salina Journal reported on 7.17.2010 that a former administrative assistant of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, Salina, has pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and one count of computer crime for generating 81 unauthorized checks giving herself about $61,000 extra money since 2006. The article is linked here.
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KSAL radio reports here that the guilty person was granted probation 8.30.2010 instead of jail, on the condition that she provide complete restitution and fulfill the obligations of probation.

Phoenix, Az., Diocesan Council of Catholic Women

2010-06-21T14:48:00.003-05:00

To combat embezzlement, groups are often urged to require two signatures on checks. In this case, the lady forged the second signature. A news article in the Arizona Republic of 6.17.2010 is linked here. The suspect is the treasurer of the Phoenix Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, and she is accused of forging checks totaling over $11,000. To what extent this could be considered a diocesan fund, I do not know.

Sacred Heart, Waterbury, Ct.

2010-06-20T14:54:00.011-05:00

On April 28, 2011, the Waterbury Republican reported that the accused in the story below pleaded "No Contest" and received a sentence of three years in jail. The article says that the Archdiocese of Hartford is not demanding restitution.
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On July 6, 2010, a worse story has arisen concerning the way that Fr. Kevin Grey spent the money he stole from Sacred Heart Parish, Waterbury. Enter key words waterbury and priest on Google News, and you will find a long list of articles. One account in the Waterbury Republican-American is linked here. An lengthy account in the Hartford Courant is linked here. The articles speak of male escorts. Near the end of that Courant article is this statement: "The church requires each parish to have a parish financial council to work with the pastor on fiscal matters, but Sacred Heart/Sagrado Corazon did not have such a panel, Gatzak said. Pastors are also required to issue annual financial reports to the archdiocese, but Gray did not comply." I note that the annual financial report is made to the archdiocese, whereas the same full report should also be given to the parishioners.
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According to this news report from the Hartford Courant of 6.19.2010, the Archbishop of Hartford has accused the pastor of Sacred Heart/ Sacrado Corazon parish, Waterbury, Connecticut, of taking about $1 million of parish funds for his personal use. The archdiocese discovered this in a special audit triggered by the pastor's failure to submit an annual report to the archdiocese and by his failure to pay the cathedraticum. In May, the archdiocese reported the theft to Waterbury police.
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It seems that this event will produce several lessons, among them, "Don't stiff the boss." The full article is worth reading, as the Catholic bishops of Connecticut in 2009 fought a proposed legislative bill that would have them disclose finances to parishioners. The archbishop since 2003 has been Henry Mansell.
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On the one hand, it appears that the archdiocese will make up some of the missing money, perhaps because of theft insurance or bonds. On the other hand, I wonder whether the parishioners will learn the figures of the various levies the archdiocese makes upon the parish in ordinary circumstances.
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The Waterbury Republican-American of 6.21.2010, linked here, sheds more light and raises more questions about parish life.
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Aside from this 2010 item, one might note that the church, dedicated in 1889, is yet one more of the U.S. churches designed by the famous and prolific architect Patrick C. Keely. See links here and here.

Visitation School, Mendota Heights, Minnesota

2010-06-05T19:09:00.003-05:00

The Convent of the Visitation School is located in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, a few miles southwest of St. Paul and southeast of Minneapolis. After he was caught by surveillance, a custodian admitted he regularly took money from a school office. Please see the account in twincities.com linked here. In addition to the cash and other valuables, two successive safes went missing.

St. Mary Magdalene, Tyngsborough, Mass.

2010-06-05T17:57:00.005-05:00

According to a 6.3.2010 Boston Globe article linked here, one employee alone handled the cash offerings at St. Mary Magdalene parish, Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. The pastor became suspicious of the accounting and counted the money before the employee did. She reported less. Over the course of years, it was estimated that more than $100,000 had been taken from a rather small parish. She had worked in the parish from 2003 to 2009. A grand jury indicted her for theft.
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The website of the Archdiocese of Boston states that this parish was established in 2004. Maybe it was a result of a merger.

Priests of Sacred Heart, Hales Corners, Wisconsin

2010-05-26T06:56:00.003-05:00

This article just appeared in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. It narrates accusations of theft against a layman who handled the development office for the Priests of the Sacred Heart. The article locates the shrine and seminary of this congregation in Franklin, Wisconsin, about ten miles southwest of Milwaukee. The two properties are located north of Franklin, in the direction of Hales Corners, an address well known to Catholic households that have received mail solicitations with donation envelopes addressed to the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Hales Corners. In a world of rented or traded mailing lists, Catholics have been receiving these appeals for decades. The website is linked here.

Laudenbach-am-Main, Bavaria,Germany

2010-05-25T20:24:00.002-05:00

Until now, I have omitted accounts of alleged embezzlement outside the fifty states. I don't intend to confuse the tally by going to other nations, but this report from a Munich newspaper may describe an extraordinary take . The parish priest in question seems to have helped himself over time to more than a million Euros in a village of 900. I may be misreading the article, but it seems to say that the loss was discovered through an audit when the pastor retired after forty years in his post. The parish is in the diocese of Wuerzburg, famous for its Residenz.

Columbian Retirement Home, Marysville, Calif.

2010-05-22T16:43:00.003-05:00

Various newspapers and television stations reported that on April 9, 2009, a finance officer and board member of the Columbian Retirement Home in Marysville, California, was indicted in federal court in Sacramento on charges of mail fraud, computer fraud, and money laundering. The home is a non-profit organization sponsored and apparently subsidized by the California Knights of Columbus, so it is neither a parish nor a diocesan office. The brochure states that it has nineteen bedrooms. Marysville is about 40 miles north of Sacramento.
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On May 15, 2010, the Enterprise-Record of Chico, California, reported that Thom Randle, a 4th degree Knight, had entered a guilty plea to one count of money laundering and one count of computer fraud. The amount involved is $693,000. It seems that he will be sentenced in July.

Cardinal Hayes High School, Bronx, NY

2010-05-08T11:55:00.004-05:00

About two years ago, Christopher Keogon, principal of the renowned Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, lost his job when the NY Post and other tabloids accused him of having porn on the school computer. That wrong-doing apparently did not lead to arrest and indictment. Now comes the arrest: The New York Post and the Daily News on May 8, 2010, report that the Bronx District Attorney has charged Keogon with grand larceny and forgery. The Post story is linked here. A more detailed 2008 article from New York Times is linked here.

St. Peter Claver parish, Wapato, Washington

2010-05-01T11:26:00.002-05:00

On April 29, 2010, a former bookkeeper at the parish of St. Peter Claver, Wapato, Washington State, entered a guilty plea for theft of a figure over $33,000. The Yakima County court sentenced her to 22 months in prison and a figure of restitution. For details, please see the article in the Yakima Herald-Republic, linked here.

St. Paul, Greensburg, Penn.

2010-04-28T13:19:00.004-05:00

Once in a while, geographical nomenclature offers a problem. The parish at this link is presumably the St. Paul's in question. ABC news from Pittsburgh's channel 4 reports on the web this story of theft from St. Paul's church in Hempfield Township. Detectives say they have a video of the choir director taking $28,000 from the parish's safe. It seems that other money previously went missing, also.
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That this happened in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh seems to corroborate the identification of the parish. The postal address of the church is Greensburg, county seat. Greensburg is also a diocese, with St. Paul's parish located less than two miles southwest of the cathedral, in the direction of Hempfield Township.

Central Catholic H.S., Pittsburgh, Pa.

2010-04-21T18:51:00.005-05:00

A former teacher and student council moderator at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh was arraigned in April, 2010, in an Allegheny County Court. The charge was theft of more than $25,000 from student activities, particularly a prom.
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On 12.3.2010 several news sources related that the man pleaded guilty to theft. His lawyer said he had already repaid all the funds taken. The sentence is six months' probation. An article from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review is linked here.

St Mary, West Chicago

2010-03-31T11:18:00.009-05:00

For some reason, this story did not get picked up earlier. Thefts from the accounts of St. Mary's parish in West Chicago, Illinois, were discovered during 2009 and a suspect was investigated.
West Chicago is about 35 miles west of The Loop. The DuPage Daily Herald in a story here on March 31, 2010, reports that a grand jury indicted the fellow on 30 counts of financial crimes, schemes, or fraud. Apparently, the amount that is missing is about $300,000. The article says that the accused is a deacon. A few hours late on 3.31 another article appeared on the Chicago Tribune's news page here.
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The Easter parish bulletin (4.4.2010) sadly relates the above events with more detail, but it also announces the closure of the parish school, and also refers to the arrest of another person who had worked at the parish, a former seminarian. The parish website is here. For the archive of older Sunday bulletins, please click on Comments below.
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The Lord came to heal a broken, troubled world. He has risen, indeed.

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St. Joseph parish, Sylvania, Ohio

2010-03-26T13:45:00.001-05:00

Money went missing from collections at St. Joseph's parish in Sylvania, Ohio. Parishioners complained that the annual list of their donations gave a lower amount from what they had submitted. It seems that a camera was then installed near the safe and found two custodians tampering with collection envelopes and a sealed bag. An account in the Toledo Blade is linked here. The date of the story is March 24, 2010.

St. John's Prep, Danvers, Massachusetts

2010-03-20T19:28:00.007-05:00

St. John's Prep is a boys' high school in Danvers, Massachusetts, under the auspices of the Xaverian Brothers. In this news article dated March, 2010, from New England Cable News, a financial officer who had been employed by the school was indicted by a grand jury in Salem, Massachusetts, under four counts of larceny and three counts of false entry into corporate books. The sum involved seems to be about $80,000. The enrollment at the school seems to be about 1,250.
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On 2.9.2011, the Daily Item of Lynn, Massachusetts, reported that the accused changed his plea from innocent to guilty. The judge sentenced him to five years of probation and complete restitution. He must pay the first $60,000 within sixty days. The article link is here.

Two parishes, Crawford County, Wisconsin

2010-01-31T11:07:00.006-05:00

Robert Chukwu, a priest with dual citizenship (Nigeria and U.S.) was arrested January 29, 2010, for embezzling about $196,000 from two parishes in Crawford County, southwest Wisconsin: St. Mary parish in Gays Mills and St. Philip parish in Soldiers Grove. The arrest was made in Prairie du Chien. The diocese is that of La Cross, Wisconsin, A link to an article in the La Crosse Tribune is here.
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The see of La Cross has been vacant since its bishop was appointed to Milwaukee two months ago.
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The La Cross Tribune on 7.15.2010 reports that the priest was allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges and stay out of jail. One would have to read the article here for an explanation of how the plea bargain worked. "The plea means that he admits no wrongdoing, but concedes that a jury would have likely found him guilty.
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The La Cross Tribune on 11.25.2010 states that the priest has agreed to pay the diocese of La Crosse $65,000. Even though the article here is brief, it is worthwhile to see the terms of the agreement.

Reviewing three years of missing money posts

2010-01-16T14:08:00.003-05:00

I intend to review the three years' list of missing money as reported on this blog. The task may lead only to generalizations. Recall that this blog was begun 1/1/2007 inspired by a report from Villanova University. Please review this link to my first post.
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Some generalizations:
1) We do not know how many incidents of missing funds were not pursued, or were dismissed by authorities, or were ignored by the press. Link.
2) Please glance at the labels at the right, and note that far more lay people than priests are suspects. The 2.15.2007 article in Time magazine, "When Priests Pilfer," is somewhat misleading about who most often pilfers church funds. Who in a parish pilfers? The person, clerical or lay, who does the checks or handles the cash.
3) Cases develop slowly. Link.
4) About thirty-eight people have been sentenced or jailed.
5) If three years have come up with only about 100 reported missing money incidents (to me a relatively insignificant number considering the 19,000 parishes in our 50 states), the transparency about Church finances is likewise small. Thefts should decrease; transparency should increase. We have little idea about the upward flow of cash from parish to bishop to the curia. We parishioners lack tools to uncover questionable expenses or gifts.

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St. Joseph School, Salem, New Hampshire

2010-01-16T13:51:00.006-05:00

St. Joseph's is a regional catholic elementary school in Salem, New Hampshire, close to Massachusetts. On 1.14.2010 the Eagle Tribune of North Andover, Mass., reported that the school's bookkeeper, a woman from nearby Derry, N.H., had been arrested for stealing over $83,000 from school accounts. The link to the article is here.
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When I tried to look at the school's website, Norton Anti-virus reported that the website sent an intruder.
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The school appears to have about 300 students.
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On 4.7.2010, the Manchester Union Leader reported that the bookkeeper has struck a plea deal with the Rockingham County prosecutor. Even though this is a long, informative article, please note that the plea is in the future, namely "next Tuesday."
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On 8.18.2010, the Salem Observer reported here that the bookkeeper to one count of theft. The judge sentenced Elisabeth Kishbaugh "to a period of two and a half to eight years at the New Hampshire State Prison, with eighteen months of the minimum sentence suspended." She entered the jail immediately after the hearing.

Our Lady of Sorrows, White Plains

2010-01-14T18:07:00.004-05:00

On January 12, 2010, the former pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows church, White Plains, was sentenced for stealing about $432,000 from various funds in his parish. The article in the Journal News here is headlined "Ex-White Plains pastor gets no jail time for gambling-fueled theft from church. He was sentenced to whatever jail time he had already served and five years' probation. The Archdiocese said he would be assigned to another parish and given no access to parish funds.
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The Journal News of White Plains, New York, a Gannett newspaper, on May 24, 2008, reported that Rev. Patrick Dunne, former pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows parish, White Plains, was arrested and charged with stealing more than $300,000 from the parish account, mostly by writing checks to "Cash." It seems there was a gambling habit. The article is here. According to the article, it was parish staff members who noticed the undocumented checks and told the archdiocese, which then did an audit.
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On June 3, 2009, Patrick Dunne was indicted in a Westchester County court in White Plains, New York, on a single count of grand larceny in the second degree. The prosecutors said that he stole about $432,000 between January, 2002, and December, 2007. He then pleaded not guilty.
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On October 20, 2009, Fr. Dunne changed his plea to guilty under an agreement that seems to say he will serve no more than six months in jail. Part of the sentence will be making restitution to the archdiocese's insurance company, which paid the parish some money. The total he stole from about four parish accounts was given as $432,000. Note the tone of this link from Gannett's Westchester Journal News: not a scolding exaggeration or headline-grabber, but parishioners saying, "There, but for the grace of God ..."

St. Andrew parish, Eagle River, Alaska

2009-12-21T07:43:00.003-05:00

A parish bookkeeper was arrested December 8, 2009, for embezzling about $27,000 from St. Andrew's parish in Eagle River, Alaska. She pleaded not guilty and posted bail. The article in the Alaska Star of 12.17.2009 is linked here.

St. Matthew parish, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2009-11-06T13:07:00.002-05:00

Various news sources report that a person who handles a scrip or gift card program at St. Matthew Parish, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been charged with theft of about $60,000. A bit confusingly, some newspapers call this person an employee of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. A scrip program involves purchasing at school gift cards for supermarket purchases. As I understand it, the parish school benefits from the discount between the bulk cost and the resale price on the cards. Some articles also seem to say that the suspect herself disclosed the problem with the accounts. See this article from the Chicago Tribune, which also states she pleaded not guilty.

Sts. Peter and Paul, Garfield Heights, Ohio

2009-10-29T16:43:00.005-05:00

Lawrence Cermak, bookkeeper at the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, Garfield Heights, pleaded guilty October 28, 2009, according to the Plain Dealer web article linked here. It is said that he stole about $330,000 over six years, with about 69 checks considered suspicious. The court was that of Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
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Garfield Heights is a city about ten miles south of Cleveland. It has four Catholic parishes. Sts. Peter and Paul, apparently a parish of Polish heritage, seems to have a Sunday collection of about $7,000. The theft came to light when the books were edited for the arrival of a new pastor in July. The parish website is linked here.
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The Cuyahoga County judge sentenced him to three years in jail, according to this article in the Plain Dealer 12.4.2009.

Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio

2009-09-23T04:20:00.006-05:00

Update: The Elyria Chronicle-Telegraph reported on 3.10.2011 that Joseph Smith, who previously lost his CPA license, has had his law license indefinitely suspended by the Ohio Supreme Court until he completes his term of supervised release and has satisfied his tax obligations.
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Update: The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on 9.22.2009 that Anton Zgoznik has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison. The news report is here.
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This is a story of two trials in a complex case. I have kept the story in one piece and moved it now to December, 2008, because Joseph Smith received his sentence in federal court 12.11.2008. The verdict was delivered July 3, 2008. See also the Plain Dealer of 12.12.2008 here.
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The trials of Anton Zgoznik and Joseph Smith were separated, but the judge in both cases was the same. As related below, in October, 2007, Anton Zgoznik was convicted on all charges. On July 3, a different jury found Joseph Smith guilty of the charges of tax evasion but not guilty of other charges. The judge also threw out some charges. The sentencing of Zgoznik is still some time in the future.
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In both cases, retired Bishop Anthony Pilla was forced to testify, but at least in the first trial Judge Aldrich severely restricted the line of questioning the defense attempted. In the second trial, that of Joseph Smith, the jury said it did not have sufficient evidence for conviction, except on tax evasion.
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The Cleveland Plain Dealer published a lengthy summary here on May 30, 2008.
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On October 2, 2007, a jury in U.S. District Court in Cleveland found Anton Zgoznik guilty on all fifteen counts of the indictment against him. A former employee of the Diocese of Cleveland, he was accused of stealing money from the Diocese through various billing and check-writing schemes. However, the charges before the court were not theft or embezzlement, but rather federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Link to indictment here.
Another man indicted in this scheme is Joseph Smith, but his trial is separate. His verdict was delivered July 3, 2008, as related above. It appears that both were employees in the finance department of the diocese while Anthony Pilla was bishop (1980-2006). At first, the amounts involved seemed high, about $785,000, but the amounts in the convictions for tax evasion are lower. This trial caught attention because the defendants at one point accused the diocese of routinely using several accounts to pay the employees. The accused became accusers briefly, but Zgoznik and Smith, not Bishop Pilla, were on trial. Much has already been published about this case, and Zgoznik and Pilla make for easy search terms.
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In testimony given August 29, 2007, reported here, Bishop Pilla said it was he that called the FBI in early 2004. Judge Ann Aldrich precluded the defense from asking Bishop Pilla certain questions.
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The search capabilities of both Google News and Google Blog Search are helpful in tracking the progress of this case.
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A news article on the October 2, 2007, verdict is here.

Sacred Heart parish, New Carlisle, Ohio

2009-09-14T04:24:00.002-05:00

The Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun reported on 9.3.2009 that the former office manager of Sacred Heart parish in New Carlisle, Clark County, was arrested and charged on several counts, with the amount of theft apparently in the range of $115,000. She had worked for the parish for 22 years. The accusation came about because of reports last January that invoices had not been paid. That led to a close audit. The article is linked here.
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This parish is in the Archdiocese of Cincinatti. The parish website is here.

Immaculate Conception parish, Burlington, Wisconsin

2009-09-09T06:15:00.004-05:00

Sometimes, a "missing money" story begins without a criminal accusation. Here is an 8.17.2009 link to the removal of the pastor of St. Mary's Immaculate Conception parish in Burlington, Racine County, Wisconsin. Auditors determined that about $75,000 in parish funds was poorly accounted for. Note the complication arising from the unoccupied status of the see of Milwaukee. This is at least the second recent case where gift cards may have been taxable additions to salary.

Our Lady Star of the Sea, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

2009-09-06T09:54:00.006-05:00

At Our Lady Star of the Sea, a lawyer offered to do the books for the parish. When the Archdiocese of Detroit audited the books, they found more than $90,000 missing. It seems that the lawyer has a history of problems. A narrative from a Detroit television news station is here. On December 18, 2009, the Wayne County prosecutor's office said that Frederick Petz had pleaded guilty to four counts of embezzlement. Sentencing is scheduled for January 25, 2010. The Detroit Free Press article is here, second story on the column.
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The parish website is here.
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Petz apparently made a plea deal, and on 1.25.2010 the judge sentenced him to five years' probabtion, and repay the parish $90,600. No jail time. The Detroit Free Press has a brief article here.

St John parish, Darien, Connecticut

2009-08-28T16:34:00.004-05:00

Update: Michael Jude Fay passed away on August 22, 2009. A long summary of the case and Fr. Fay's death was published in the Darien Times, linked here. He died in a federal prison's medical facility in North Carolina. The funeral was said to be private.
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In May of 2006, a series of revelations appeared about the parish of St. John in Darien, Connecticut, and the life style of its pastor, Michael Jude Fay. On 12.4.2007, a federal judge in New Haven sentenced Michael Jude Fay to 37 months in prison for a single count of "interstate transportation of money taken by fraud." He was ordered to pay $1,027,989 in restitution. The judge agreed to postpone the start of jail time to April 2, 2008, because of Fay's chemotherapy. In the plea bargain, Fay waived the right to appeal.
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In the afternoon of October 21, 2008, darientimes.com received confirmation that Michael Jude Fay had finally entered prison ten months after his conviction and with seven delays based on his health. His residence is the Federal Devens facility in Ayer, Massachusetts, about 170 miles northeast of the flock he fleeced. The article is linked here.
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In early 2006, an assistant pastor and a parish secretary were the heroes of this incident, as it was through them that the faithful parishioners learned that something was amiss.
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A note about searching for older news articles:
A Google News search becomes more difficult weeks after a news article appears, especially as some newpapers assign new URL's to old articles. A check of the regular Google search engine will sometimes bring up an old article. Also, the items may be found through local newspaper sites. Another source is any newspaper online service that your library taxes pay for. For example, even though the New York Times charges for old articles, your public library may already have paid for a subscription to Proquest or some such service that includes more than a century of the NY Times. Useful search terms might be these words without quotation marks: Catholic, the town name, an unusual word in the parish name, or a surname. In this particular case Darien, Catholic, and "Michael Jude Fay" work in various combinations.
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The Darien Times likewise carried a news item on the civil claim by the secretary against the Diocese of Bridgeport. There are competing accounts of who first notified civil authorities about the suspected thefts. A link is here

St. Ita, Chicago, Illinois

2009-08-28T16:18:00.001-05:00

The parish of Saint Ita lies in the Edgewater, North Side, neighborhood about eight miles north of Chicago's Loop and about five blocks west of Lake Michigan. The Chicago Tribune of 8.8.8 reported that a former pastor was indicted on three counts involving more than $10,000 missing from the parish while he was there from 2001 to 2005. The article here says that the thefts occurred after he fired the parish finance committee. At that time, Father Steve Patte declared that he was not guilty.
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On August 26, 2009, Fr. Patte pleaded guilty to reduced charges and paid $35,000 in restitution. He was given four years' probation, no jail time. The article in the Chicago Sun-Times of 8.26.2009 is linked here.

Holy Redeemer, Cheektowaga, New York

2009-07-17T07:19:00.006-05:00

Traveling northeast from downtown Buffalo on Genesee Street, one enters the Town of Cheektowaga near the site of closed Holy Redeemer parish. On July 16, 2009, the former pastor, Fr. F. Norman Sullivan, pleaded guilty to a charge of grand larceny, stealing about $213,000 from the parish over several years. At the same time, he gave the Diocese of Buffalo a check for the remaining balance of restitution. The judge set sentencing for October 5th, but said the sentence would not include jail. Fr. Sullivan was pastor of Holy Redeemer from 1987 to 2007. According to the Buffalo News story here, he used unauthorized checks and pocketed cash donations. Edward Kmiec has been bishop of Buffalo since 2004, and I believe he has made public statements about the scrutiny of parish finances. I wonder how the rules differ on the discretionary use of funds by a bishop or by a pastor. I believe there are different money limits and different rules for approval by others.
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A follow-up article in the Buffalo News on July 17, 2009, linked here, gives more details about how Sullivan stole, his current assets (including three residences), and a gift he received from an uncle-priest.
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A Buffalo television station posted this item on its website. On October 7, 2009, Sullivan was sentenced to five years probation and a thousand hours of community service. His bishop has suspended him indefinitely.

Sacred Heart Parish, Frontenac, Kansas

2009-07-15T20:17:00.004-05:00

On July 25, 2008, the Globe of Joplin, Kansas, reported that legal authorities have spent ten months investigating the disappearance of some money from the books of Sacred Heart parish in Frontenac, south central Kansas. The article is here. If anything, this account shows that the probe into a "missing money" situation can endure for a long time before anyone is named or indicted. The newspaper says that the suspect is not the pastor. The parish is in the diocese of Wichita.
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On June 11, 2009, the Joplin Globe reported that Lanora Spigarelli, one time pastoral assistant and business manager at Sacred Heart parish, Frontenac, has pleaded innocent when a federal indictment was lodged against her. The charge is that she fraudulently used $74,027 of parish money to pay her own bills over a period of time. The federal nature of the charge is that she used the U.S. Postal Service to commit mail fraud. A different news article linked here gives the date of her court appearance in federal court in Wichita as June 8. Because a grand jury may be convened, this appears to be at the beginning of the legal process.
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On July 10, 2009, the Joplin Globe reported that the suspect entered a guilty plea for mail fraud of $74,000. The FBI found 111 instances of check fraud that formed that single charge. A sentencing hearing is set for October 5. The maximum jail time is twenty years. The Globe article is here.
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On November 19, 2009, the Wichita Eagle and other newspapers reported that she was sentenced to three years probation with a requirement that she repay the $74,000 she stole. No jail. See articles here and here.

St. Anne School, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

2009-07-15T12:31:00.003-05:00

Two parishes support the school at St. Anne's parish, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In June, 2008, an audit of school tuition receipts and bank deposits found that about $70,000 missing. An arrest warrant was issued for the newly-fired school office manager, and she turned herself in on July 3, 2008. The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal published an account on July 4, 2008, under the headline "Woman accused of theft from school."
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Michelle Hildebrand pleaded guilty in April, 2009. On Monday, July 6, 2009, a judge sentenced her to one to two years in jail. She was told to report to Lancaster County Prison the following Monday. The judge added fifteen years of probation, and he required her to pay back $111,229 she still owes the school. See the article on lancasteronline.com here.

Archbishop Ryan H.S., Philadelphia

2009-06-16T18:29:00.005-05:00

This case begins in 2002, when Fr. Charles Newman, O.F.M., was appointed president of Archbishop Ryan High School in northeast Philadelphia. In November, 2003, when the archdiocese discovered the theft, he was fired. In court on March 9, 2009, he admitted stealing from the school and from his own Franciscan order. See the Philadelphia Daily News article here. He pleaded guilty to one count of forgery and two counts of theft. Sentencing is set for May 8, 2009. Because of statutes of limitations, Newman avoided trial on charges of sexual assault. See the various links for further details, but note that the young man who allegedly sold narcotics to the priest and who allegedly was assaulted has died of an overdose. The young man's parents were present at the March 9, 2009, plea and at the May 22 sentencing.
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On May 22, 2009, a judge sentenced Fr. Newman to three to six years in jail. He was immediately taken into custody to begin his sentence. See the story in the Philadelphia Inquirer here.
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On December 20, 2007, Lynne Abraham, district attorney for Philadelphia announced an indictment of Fr. Charles Newman, O.F.M., for theft from Archbishop Ryan High School and from the Franciscan community attached to that school. The total seems to be around $900,000. This is the same friar accused in a sex-assault case.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has the indictment news here.
The Philadelphia Daily News has its own article here.
I point out that the archdiocese previously objected to Abraham's report on Cardinal Bevilacqua and sex assaults.
A blogger who calls himself "Captain America" relates his memories of Friar Chuck (Father Charles Newman) here.
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Archbishop Justin Rigali replaced retiring Anthony Bevilacqua in July 2003. A press release from the Archdiocese gives a series of late 2003 dates regarding the Charles Newman case, link here.
November 18, 2003 -- The archdiocese received notice of possible fraud at Archbishop Ryan HS.
November 20, 2003 -- The archdiocese terminated Charles Newman as president of Ryan, told him not to return, and changed the locks on offices and files.
December 12, 2003 -- Having learned of possible sex abuse in this case, the archdiocese reported to the Philadelphia D.A. about the suspected fraud and possible sexual abuse of a minor.
The above-linked press release contains other dates and narratives.
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This case could become confusing. The indictment indicated that Newman stole more than $300,000 from the school and more than $500,000 from the friary attached to the school. Yet, since he has a vow of poverty, his Franciscan superiors support him currently at or near their provincialate in Wisconsin!
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According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Newman surrendered at the Philadelphia District Attorney's office at 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2007. The next day's Inquirer reported that bail was set at $50,000, with no indication of whether someone posted bail for him. On January 2, 2008, the Philadephia Daily News reported that Newman's next hearing will be on March 19. A lengthy article here praises the current school administration. It also states that the BVM province of the Franciscan Friars has repaid all the funds that Newman is accused of stealing from the school ($331,000).

St. John the Beloved, Wilmington, Delaware

2009-06-12T18:43:00.005-05:00

I have avoided burglary cases generally, but this one has a twist. The suspect pretended to be a church volunteer, as he showed up at a carnival booth at St. John the Beloved parish on Milltown Road, Wilmington, wearing a staff shirt and announced that it was time to empty the cash register. He was picked up a few days later at a carnival at St. Anthony's parish, also in Wilmington. The June 10, 2009, story on the website of a Philadelphia television station is here.
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Which St. John? CBS3 seems to have the designation mixed up. The story says St. John the Beloved in Newark, but in Newark it is St. John the Baptist. In Wilmington, there is a parish named St. John the Beloved. See the parish list for New Castle County (that is, Wilmington and northern Delaware) here. Other news stories carry the same confusion, but I think both incidents occurred in Wilmington. Note this article and the comments that follow.

St Mary Magdalen, Altamonte Springs, Florida

2009-04-25T11:17:00.009-05:00

On July 23, 2007, the Orlando Sentinel ran a story about long-term, high-figure pilfering at St Mary Magdalen, Altamonte Springs, Seminole County, Florida. An aspect of the story that struck me as unusual was that, after the person was questioned by police, the collection of the weekend of July 7 and 8, 2007, reached $55,000. Isn't that quite high for Catholic parishes? At any rate, on November 1, 2007, the Orlando Sentinel carried a longer account, as the District Attorney of Seminole County formally charged Karen Raborn with one count of organized fraud and one count of grand theft. Officials have found that at least $320,000 went missing over a period of time, but suggest that the real figure could be much higher. For further developments, one could search at the Orlando Sentinel or Google News for keywords Altamonte and Raborn.
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On April 23, 2009, she pleaded "No contest" to the charges. The article in the Orlando Sentinel is linked here. Apparently, the prosecutors did not make many announcements to the press between 2007 and the 2009 plea bargain.

St Vincent Ferrer, Delray Beach, Florida

2009-03-26T12:00:00.007-05:00

The sentences have been pronounced, but I'm not too certain these cases are over, perhaps with an appeal or pardon. On Tuesday, March 24, 2009, a judge awarded a sentence to the older priest, John Skehan: fourteen months in prison, and he must begin his sentence by May 1. (Yes, he began his jail term on schedule, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel here.) On Wednesday, March 25, 2009, a different judge awarded a sentence to the younger priest, successor to Fr. Skehan in the parish: four years in prison, and restitution of $99,999, the maximum restitution the judge could require. See the 3.26.2009 article in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel here.
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This case has been going on since September, 2006. It involves two priests from Ireland and two separate trials. In the first, a surprise came on January 21, 2009, when jury selection was about to begin. Father John Skehan entered an open guilty plea, not a plea agreement, but one in which the judge will determine his sentence. The 1.22.2009 story in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel here describes much of the history of the case.
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Father Francis Guinan succeeded John Skehan as pastor and continued the practices of false accounting and misappropriation of collection money. His trial was held in mid-February of 2009. On February 23, 2009, the jury reached a verdict, convicting him of grand theft, that is, stealing between $20,000 and $100,000, though far more was missing. See the story in the Sun-Sentinel here.
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The notes below may seem to be in convoluted order, caused in part by the format of blogging, where new stories shove old stories lower, and my attempt to keep the events together in a single post. An article in the July 1, 2008, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel here explains the role of the statute of limitations in computing the alleged theft. John Skehan, born in Johnstown, Ireland, in 1927, was pastor at St Vincent Ferrer from 1963 to 1999. From Eglish, Ireland, Francis Guinan, born about 1942, replaced Skehan, but within 19 months this case broke and he resigned. Guinan is charged with a higher figure because his alleged skimming is more recent.
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This link to statements by Bishop Gerald Barbarito and the diocesan financial officer in September, 2006, give important details.
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Time Magazine was several months late in Feburary, 2007, in reporting this story from the parish of St. Vincent Ferrer, Delray Beach, Florida. The account and the mention of the Villanova report of December, 2006, however deserve a link here because of Time's razzle-dazzle, clear style. While this report seems factual, as usual Time avoids nuances that would dim its technicolor presentation. Worth reading, even though almost all the news in this article made the wire services before the New Year.
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Taking issue with Time Magazine's story, the website "Newsbusters: Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias" has a blog authored by David Pierre. On 2.27.2007 he posted his analysis under the title of "Time Magazine's 'Pilfering Priests' is a make-believe crisis." The link to this site and blog is here.
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It seems that the "discovery" process leading to a criminal case can lead to many revelations and news articles. So much has appeared in print around 3.9.2007 that I must limit myself to one link. Otherwise, use a mixture of some of these terms to hunt around Google News, Yahoo News, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and the Palm Beach Post: Delray, Ferrer, Guinan, Skehan.
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In the early stages of this case, it appeared that the older man claimed the "missing money" had gone to keep the parish school afloat. After 1.21.2009, Skehan-Guinan story again received much press coverage across the United States. One report said that the thefts came to light because of an anonymous tip to the diocese of Palm Beach. Another story, perhaps a year ago (and I wish I could provide a link) said that one or other of the accused priests told the bishop's auditors to get lost. "How can you insult a priest with a demand for an audit?" or some such rebuff. I presume that a refusal signals the need for a very close audit.
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Here is a 2.24.2009 column in the Sun-Sentinel, followed by 40 comments by readers. He mentions testimony of retired priest Thomas Rynne in defense of Guinan.
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A 1966 article in the Palm Beach Post here is a devastating biography of Francis Guinan, if true. His birth year seems to be 1943, and, originating from Co. Offaly in central Ireland, he was ordained in 1966. No mention is made of which bishop of Palm Beach incardinated him, nor which bishop(s) assigned him as pastor at least twice.
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Born about 1928, John Skehan came from Co. Kilkenny in south-east Ireland. On 3.27.2009, the Kilkenny Advertiser ran this article about his sentence.
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Mixed in with the above stories is the existence of an endowment account to help the parish school. An article in the Orland Sentinel in October, 2009, alludes to this account with a request by two parishioners for further disclosure about the current management and status of the account.

St. Joseph, Yakima, Washington State

2009-03-01T13:02:00.008-05:00

The Yakima Herald-Republic reported on 2.19.2009 that the assistant manager of bingo program at St. Joseph's parish won 90 days in jail for stealing $46,000 from the bingo organization. That he is a first-time offender and that full restitution is required apparently led to the brief sentence. Note in the article that the program helps reduce tuition in the parish school. It seems that the theft was discovered by the state's Gambling Commission investigators when a routine audit found problems in the records for amounts won.
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I appreciate the comment below, which led me to correct a link.

DeSmet Jesuit H.S., Creve Coeur, Mo.

2009-03-01T12:26:00.003-05:00

I ordinarily avoid church burglary stories, but this one illustrates at least the issue of vigilance. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch on February 25, 2009, reported that boys at DeSmit Jesuit High School west of St. Louis, Missouri, had raised about $27,000 cash for missions in Belize and Honduras. Placed in a safe, the money disappeared. The news article is here. Addressing the need to put cash into bank accounts safely and quickly, I remark (from a little bit of experience) that getting some of that same money out of a bank for activity-related expenses can be a pain.

St. Mary Star of the Sea, Astoria, Oregon

2009-02-26T06:22:00.006-05:00

Both the Daily Astorian newspaper and television station KGW of Portland, Oregon, have reported financial problems at the parish and school of St. Mary Star of the Sea in Astoria. The KGW link is here, thanks to a person who left a comment for this blog. One of the stories in the Daily Astorian is here. Several details of the story are interesting, for example, the new requirement that a layman also countersign the checks for this parish. The ordinary is Archbishop John Vlazny.
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Several news sources have brought this story up to a April 15, 2009, date: The archdiocese of Portland will assign the priest to another parish. The archdiocese says it has not found that he used parish money for personal expenses, but it is requiring him to pay back about $83,000 in undocumented expenses. However, the criminal investigation is continuing. A rather full story from the Salem Statesman-Journal (a Gannett paper) is here.

Card. Stritch High School, Oregon (near Toledo), Ohio

2009-02-11T10:40:00.002-05:00

Oregon, Ohio, lies about four miles east of Toledo on Lake Erie. Cardinal Stritch High School is a diocesan high school founded in 1960, and it has about 356 students in grades 9 to 12. The Toledo Blade of 8.30.2008 reports here that the former head coach was arraigned for three counts of theft, two of forgery, and one of falsification. It seems that a bank tipped off the school that he opened a separate school account, allegedly to receive checks. He is "former" coach because he was immediately fired.
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At that point, the suspect pleaded not guilty. In February, 2009, he pleaded "No contest," risking up to three years in jail. The Toledo Blade story of February 11, 2009, here gives a lengthy explanation of the case.

St Vitus, New Castle, Pennsylvania

2009-01-25T11:29:00.004-05:00

New Castle, Pennsylvania, a city about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, has two Catholic parishes, but only one, St. Vitus, maintains a Catholic school, with about 150 students. However, the Ellwood City Ledger on 1.23.2009 reported that a school volunteer was arrested on charges of theft, theft by deception, and theft by failure to make a deposit. St Vitus school and other area Catholic schools joined a fund-raising program where the school purchased supermarket gift cards at a discount, then sold them at the schools at face value, per arrangement with the supermarkets. However, the accused, a volunteer who managed the St Vitus program since 2001, apparently stole from both ends, that is, from the cooperating supermarket and from the school. As the losses came about in different ways (for a total that may be about $80,000), see the article here for details. The theft was uncovered when the volunteer attempted to exchange too many gift cards for other ones. New Castle is in the diocese of Pittsburgh.
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On 3.14.2009, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported here that the volunteer's wife, who is or was the church secretary, was arraigned on theft and conspiracy charges.

St John and James, West Warwick, Rhode Island

2009-01-24T18:16:00.003-05:00

Just a few months after a 61-year-old bookkeeper in St. Kevin parish in Warwick, Rhode Island, was charged with theft, five miles away in West Warwick it is a 18-year-old sexton that is charged with pilfering perhaps $50,000 in collection money from the parish of St. John and St. James. On 12.6.2008, a Providence television station reported that the young man did not show up in court as required. His lawyer explained that the young man was away at college. The news report is here.

Interesting account of background check

2009-01-24T17:58:00.002-05:00

Those in charge at St. Isidore's parish, Bloomingdale, Illinois, got lucky. The first background check did not turn up a felony charge for the person hired in August, 2008, as director of stewardship. Four months later, the charge was discovered. The article linked here gives a time-line, but does not indicate how the church missed the felony in August and learned of it in December.

Holy Spirit, Denver, North Carolina

2009-01-24T17:47:00.005-05:00

The Tribune of Lincolnton, North Carolina, reported on 12.19.2008 that a safe weighing about 70 pounds went missing from Holy Spirit church in Denver, North Carolina, over the previous weekend. It contained about $12,000. A Sister reported seeing a stranger wandering the building on Sunday afternoon, but he wasn't lugging a safe. The news website article is here.

Bon Secours hospital chain, Maryland

2009-01-23T20:52:00.004-05:00

On Christmas, 2008, the Baltimore Sun carried a report that a man who stole laptops from the Bon Secours hospital chain had been sentenced in Howard County Circuit Court to ten years in jail, with nine of these years suspended. He attempted to sell the laptops on eBay, but the serial numbers were traced. This account has several items of interest. Note that an insider does not have to steal funds. There may be something else of value around. He was ordered to pay more than $53,000 in restitution. It was Christmas Eve when the reporter wrote this story, so the line "a nonprofit operated by Catholic nuns" can be excused. However, the description is a bit understated. Yes, it is a non-profit, and it is operated by at least one Catholic nun of the Bon Secours congregation. However, it is a huge chain of health care systems assembled in recent years as a conglomerate would do, buying up other voluntary hospitals and such in the quest for efficiency by size. See the Bon Secour site here. With 20,000 workers, I wonder whether the religious sisters actively on staff total twenty or a hundred. Bon Secours Systems (of Marriottville, Maryland) has an interesting Form 990 on file.

St Bridget parish, Omaha, Nebraska

2009-01-23T19:58:00.003-05:00

Same court, each case with a guilty plea, different judges, different amounts missing, different admissions relative to the missing amounts, jail for the religious Sister, no jail for the priest. That is some of the contrast between two December, 2008, decisions described below in the last paragraph. I usually try to keep a chronicle within one post, but in this instance, when you finish reading to the bottom, type Omaha in the search box atop the page to learn more.
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Beginning with the story of Father Rodney Adams: The archdiocese of Omaha introduced a centralized, computerized system to deal with parish finances. In the process of forming this new system, someone discovered that $83,000 was missing from the parish of St Bridget in south Omaha. The archbishop accused and removed the pastor, and the archdiocese reported the theft to the police.
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On June 11, 2008, the priest. Rodney Adams, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $83,000 from St. Bridget's parish. The newspaper account here reports there was a plea bargain.
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Sentence was passed on December 16, 2008, in Douglas County (Neb.) District Court. No jail for Father Adams. Five hundred hours of community service, and restitution of $23,000 of the amount stolen. The article in the Omaha-World Herald here relates much. The judge in this case was Russell Bowie, not Thomas Otepka of the same District Court, who sentenced Sister Barbara Markey to jail. See the December 24, 2008, article here.
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On 1.15.2009, KCAU-TV reported that Fr. Rodney Adams, who stole the money from St. Bridget's and was not required to make full restitution, has been assigned as associate pastor two miles north at St. Patrick's parish, Omaha. The bulletin of this parish seems to indicate that the weekly collection is about $1,900. "The archdiocese says he will not be involved in overseeing parish funds." Link here. St. Patrick's parish also suffered a theft by a priest, as described here, to the amount of $125,000 stolen by Fr. Stephen Gutsell. Having pleaded guilty, he was transferred to another parish.

St Elizabeth Seton, North Minneapolis, Minn.

2008-12-12T20:40:00.004-05:00

On December 12, 2008, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported the sentencing of the former principal of St Elizabeth Seton parish school in North Minneapolis. Joyce Klevence was convicted of stealing more than $350,000 over some years before her retirement in 2007. Her sentence is three years in jail. An audit conducted after she retired disclosed the embezzlement. See the news story here. One strange item in the story is that the school numbers 93 students in grades K-8, a low enrollment. The school receives students from five parishes. The school website is here.

St Patrick, Southold, Long Island, New York

2008-11-26T15:10:00.003-05:00

Four parishes on the North Fork of Long Island, New York, about ninety miles east of Manhattan, have an outreach program located at St. Patrick parish, Southold. On October 4, 2007, Southold police arrested Pauline Winterbottom, 52, director of the North Fork Parish Outreach and charged her with second-degree larceny. The Suffolk County prosecutor charged her with third-degree grand larceny, contending that she stole about $700,000 over some five years. On October 20, 2007, Newsday printed a long article, no longer directly available. It noted a concern that she not pay bail from money she stole. In April, 2008, she pleaded guilty to one count of second degree grand larceny.
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The four parishes are not wealthy. The $700,000+ figure surprises me. Although this outreach program was more than a thrift shop (apparently helping the needy with rent, heating oil, food and other costly items), the high figure may say something about the poor box income.
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On November 26, 2008, the judge sentenced Ms. Winterbottom to 3 to 6 years in New York State prison. He requires restitution of the $773,091. Between April and November, she made no effort at restitution. The newsday.com article is here.

Louisa County, Virginia

2008-11-02T19:24:00.003-05:00

(I am trying to keep this story in one entry. However, to maintain a chronological narrative, I must add the newest item, Rodis' state sentence, to the bottom of this story. Please see below.)

On January 11, 2007, an embezzlement was reported from the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia. This is part of the report from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

LOUISA -- A Catholic priest is accused of embezzling more than $600,000 from two Louisa County churches over five years. The Rev. Rodney L. Rodis, 50, was pastor of St. Jude Catholic Church in Mineral and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bumpass until he retired for medical reasons in May. Church officials learned of the alleged thefts in November, when a donation was not acknowledged and the parish could find no record of it, said William Etherington, an attorney for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, who estimated the loss at more than $600,000.Church officials contacted the Louisa commonwealth's attorney, who then brought state police into the investigation. Rodis was indicted on a charge of felony embezzlement by a Louisa County grand jury Monday.He was being held at the Central Virginia Regional Jail in Orange under $100,000 bond last night, said R. Don Short, Louisa commonwealth's attorney. Rodis could have his bond reduced today if prosecutors are assured he won't leave the country, Short said. "We'll probably try to adjust that bond to allow him to make it," he said. Rodis was ordained a priest in his native Philippines in 1986 and has lived in the United States since 1991. He began serving at the Louisa parishes in 1993, Etherington said. The indictment accuses Rodis of stealing money between September 2001 and October 2006. He is scheduled to make a first appearance in Louisa General District Court this morning.
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The bishop of Richmond, Virginia, is Francis DiLorenzo.
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A surprise showed up in the Richmond Times Dispatch of 1.14.2007. Twenty-two miles north of his two parishes, the reporter located the pastor living with wife and family in Spotsylvania, Va.
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Bail was revoked for Rodney Rodis, so he spent his 51st birthday in a Virginia jail. He was not supposed to leave Virginia, but on April 11, 2007, one of his former parishioners spotted him at a St. Louis airport. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star has an article dated 5/22 here, and quite a few other newspapers ran stories about the revocation of his bail.
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July 20, 2007 -- Several news outlets report that the attorney defending Rodney Rodis claims that this matter lies outside court jurisdiction because of the U.S. Constitution. This is from a Times-Dispatch article:

LOUISA -- The lawyer representing the Catholic priest charged with stealing money from two Louisa County churches is asking the presiding judge to throw out the charges.

John R. "Jack" Maus wrote in a Louisa Circuit Court filing that if the Rev. Rodney L. Rodis misused funds donated to the parishes, then the matter is an internal affair for the Catholic Church to handle.

Maus cites a clause in the U.S. Constitution prohibiting government entanglement in church affairs as grounds to deny Virginia courts jurisdiction over the alleged theft.

The link for the full article is here. Or search in Google News for "Rodney Rodis."

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The Hampton Roads Daily Press reported on September 6, 2007, that Virginia has dropped state charges of embezzlement against Rodney Rodis because the federal courts have taken the case. According to the AP story:

A Roman Catholic priest accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from two Louisa County churches pleaded not guilty to federal fraud and money laundering charges Thursday. The Rev. Rodney L. Rodis waived his right to a jury trial. U.S. District Judge Richard Williams will hear the case beginning Oct. 25. The trial is expected to last three days. Rodis, 51, faces eight counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. Twelve of the counts are punishable by up to 20 years in prison, one by up to 10 years.

At the time of this report (September, 2007, he was held in a Warsaw, Virginia, detention facility.

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On October 24, 2007, Rodney Rodis pleaded guilty in federal court, with a promise to help retrieve from the Philippines at least $400,000 of the $512,000 he stole. His sentencing is scheduled for February 21, 2008. See the story in the Richmond Times Dispatch here or use Google News and search for Rodis.

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On February 21, 2008, federal judge Richard Williams sentenced Rodney Rodis to 63 months in prison on the charges of mail fraud and money laundering. He also ordered Rodis to pay restitution of $591,484 to the Diocese of Richmond. Rodis has signed over to the diocese eight properties in the Philippines, property that was purchased with the stolen funds. Quite a few stories are appearing about this case, so a search of Google News (for the word Rodis) will produce more information.

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To Rodis's misfortune, a new state prosecutor was elected. Rodis is in federal prison, convicted of the above federal charges. The Commonwealth of Virginia presented its charges to a grand jury, which decided to reinstate theft charges. On September 8, 2008, Rodis entered a plea of not guilty. His trial began October 29, 2008, and ended the next day with a guilty verdict on ten felony theft counts. The jury recommended a sentence of twenty years for each count. Sentencing is scheduled for January 14, 2009. A link to a 10.31.2008 article in the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch is here.

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At sentencing, the judge gave Rodis a thirteen-year sentence, to start after he finishes his federal sentence of five years. The article in the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch is here.

St. Kevin parish, Warwick, RI

2008-10-11T05:42:00.005-05:00

The Providence Journal of October 11, 2008, reported here that a bookkeeper, age 61, at St. Kevin's parish, Warwick, Rhode Island, has been accused of stealing more than $90,000 from parish and school accounts. Apparently, these thefts were discovered during an audit. The pastor reportedly wrote that it was a highly sophisticated and elaborate effort to divert funds for her personal use.

St Bernard HS, Montville, Connecticut

2008-09-19T14:30:00.003-05:00

In attempting to log the "Catholic missing money" incidents of 2007, we keep encountering thefts outside of parishes, at other Catholic institutions such as high schools. Some years ago, the diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, took over a parish high school in New London and built for it a new campus in rural Montville, in busing distance between New London and Norwich. The New London newspaper, The Day, reported on 7.11.2007 that the background check on new employees in 2003 did not include a review of older employees. Thus, a phony checking account (labeled Camp Sunshine!) was a vehicle for apparent embezzlement by a school worker who already had a criminal record predating his hiring. Because the link has expired, try a search at Google News for Montville Licitra. The accused was charged the other day with larceny. The newspaper says about $850,000 went missing.
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Long Island Newsday reports that on May 8, 2008, pleaded no contest to charges of embezzlement. Sentencing is scheduled for August 28 in New London. It seems he will earn seven years jail for $841,000. See the article here.
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On September 11, 2008, the Norwich Bulletin here published a lengthy story about how they expected the sentencing to go that day, namely the seven-year jail time. And a brief update is here. The sentence is sixteen years with probation after seven.

St. Patrick parish, Kansas City, Kansas

2008-08-28T03:02:00.002-05:00

In the diocese of Kansas City, Kansas, there is a St. Patrick parish in Kansas City. The Kansas City Star reports that the woman in charge of the parish's day care center from 1995 to 2007 (when the center closed) has now been accused of stealing more than $100,000 over a period of time. The Star article of 4.12.2008 is here.
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On July 22, 2008, Nancy Ann Fisackerly entered guilty pleas in the Wyandotte County Court and has agreed to pay restitution of $512,817. Her sentencing is scheduled for August 22, according to the Kansas City Star article here.
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On August 28, 2008, the Kansas City Star here reported that she received probation. It seems that two years in jail will come due if she fails to fulfill her part of the agreement, which includes the above restitution and a promise not to contact the church! At least, that is what the article states.

Holy Family Academy, Bound Brook, NJ

2008-08-27T09:34:00.004-05:00

Mycentralnewjersey.com on 8.20.2008 reported here that Michelle Little, the former principal of two Catholic schools, pleaded guilty in Somerset County court to two counts of theft from petty cash funds. Stolen from Holy Family Academy, in the borough of Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, was about $7,700. Stolen from Corpus Christi school, in the borough of South River, Middlesex County, was about $240.

Twenty-four guilty pleas

2008-08-27T08:20:00.003-05:00

With the trial verdict of guilty in the Hawaii case reported 8.23.2008, one might note that the labels show 24 guilty pleas (that is, defendants choosing to make a plea deal rather than face trial) and only two guilty verdicts (where the defendant decided to go to trial). If I have missed a trial that cleared a defendant of all charges, or a case where all charges were dropped before trial, please enter a comment with specifics. There seem to be many open cases. Thank you.

St. Ita, Chicago, Illinois

2008-08-08T17:06:00.005-05:00

The parish of Saint Ita lies in the Edgewater, North Side, neighborhood about eight miles north of Chicago's Loop and about five blocks west of Lake Michigan. The Chicago Tribune of 8.8.8 says that a former pastor was indicted on three counts involving more than $10,000 missing from the parish while he was there from 2001 to 2005. The article here says that the thefts occurred after he fired the parish finance committee. At that time, Father Steve Patte declared that he was not guilty.
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On August 26, 2009, Fr. Patte pleaded guilty to reduced charges and paid $35,000 in restitution. He was given four years' probation, no jail time. The article in the Chicago Sun-Times of 8.26.2009 is linked here.

Holy Cross parish, Kalaheo, Kauai island, Hawaii

2008-08-07T13:23:00.006-05:00

On August 5, 2008, the Kauai Garden Island newspaper reported on the first day of the trial of a secretary for Holy Cross church, its associate parish, Sacred Heart, and its Filipino Catholic Club. The description of the charges may be found here. The amount is about $85,000. It seems that the defendant went to trial (instead of plea bargaining, as we have seen in so many cases) because she claims she can explain the money transfers that ultimately ended up in her own checking account.
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After a three-week trial, the Honolulu Star Bulletin of 8.23.2008 reports here that a jury convicted Daria Bruce of the charges. She could be sentenced to ten years in jail. On 12.29.2008, the Star Bulletin reported here that she was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but that she was free on bail pending appeal.

St. Anthony, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

2008-07-31T04:17:00.006-05:00

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported on July 29, 2008, that a bookkeeper at St. Anthony parish, Menomonee Falls, disclosed that she had stolen money from her employer, the parish, by padding bills and pocketing the difference. This appears to be an unusual case, in that the disclosure was initiated by the suspect. The article is linked here. The county district attorney's office said that the figure could total about $134,000.
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This is a link to a blog by a lay person in the archdiocese of Milwaukee commenting on oversight.
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On 7.30.2009, she was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 18 months of probation. This was a result of a plea deal in which the charges were lowered. A Journal-Sentinel news story is here. As of that date, she had paid back $79,000 of the money.

St Mary Star of the Sea, Longboat Key, Florida

2008-07-26T16:07:00.002-05:00

On March 31, 2008, the Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune reported that the diocese of Florida is expecting that a warrant will be issued against a former bookkeeper of St Mary Star of the Sea parish on Longboat Key. The amount missing is more than $100,000. This parish is in the diocese of Venice, Florida.
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On July 26, 2008, the Herald-Tribune reported that the bookkeeper had been arrested on theft and fraud charges, accused of stealing almost $330,000 from the church. The news story is here. Her lawyer says she is making restitution. The charges could bring any sentence from probation to 30 years in jail.

Judge sentences nun to jail for stealing from the Archdiocese of Omaha

2008-07-12T13:35:00.006-05:00

On January 21, 2010, the Omaha World-Herald had a lengthy front page story titled "Nun Wins Parole." Sister Barbara Markey is out of jail. The link is here. However, because newspaper links often change URLs, one might have to go to omaha.com and search for "markey."
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This story has been around since 2006, and there has been both a civil case and a criminal case.
On July 11, 2008, a judge sentenced Sister Barbara Markey to jail for stealing from the Archdiocese of Omaha. She and others were surprised, because both the archdiocese and the prosecutor said they would be satisfied with a sentence of probation. The link to the story in the Omaha World-Herald is here.

As background: From the Journal-Star of Lincoln, Nebraska, an Associated Press story dated April 11, 2006:
OMAHA— The Omaha Archdiocese has sued a nun as it tries to recover $820,000 the archdiocese says she stole.
The civil lawsuit was filed Monday against Sister Barbara Markey. Her criminal trial tentatively has been set for late September, her attorney said Wednesday. The lone felony charge of theft by deception carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. Officials say Markey used the archdiocese money to cover gambling forays, gifts and trips. Markey, a nationally and internationally known speaker, was fired in January 2006 as director of the Omaha Archdiocese Family Life Office, after an archdiocese audit turned up irregularities. The rest of the story may be here, if the link endures.
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Two aspects stand out: 1) Sister Barbara Markey was director of the FOCCUS marriage prep program that sold much educational material across the States. 2) The headlined accusations include casino gambling.
My own 2 cents: This may be an example of a program that had far greater success and sales than ever imagined when begun. Controls and explicit details of ownership may not have been in place from the start.
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The Beatrice (Neb.) Daily Sun on June 30, 2007, contained an extensive article headlined "Omaha archdiocese sues nun, family over missing money." Apparently, Sister Barbara wrote checks to family and helped buy a house.
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On April 1, 2008, the Omaha World-Herald reported that Sister Barbara pleaded guilty to the charges of theft. Now 73, she could be sentenced in July to twenty years in prison, but that is at the discretion of the judge. The prosecutor and the archdiocese say they will accept probation without jail. See the news story here or use Google News and search for Omaha Markey. The archdiocese seeks restitution, but that sum may be only $125,000, as much of the money has already been spent.
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On November 4, 2008, the Omaha World-Herald ran this lengthy story about another court appearance, in leg chains before the judge. She wants to reverse her guilty plea.
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In December, 2009, Google Alerts informed me that Sister's name appeared in the April 14, 2009, minutes of St. John's Pastoral Council Meeting, St. John's apparently being the campus parish of Creighton University. It notes that Sister had been hired in a consultant role as an assistant to the pastor [a Jesuit] as part of a work release program.

Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey

2008-07-10T14:27:00.004-05:00

An article about theft from Catholic Charities (Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey) has appeared on the website mycentraljersey.com The link is here.
Police in Bridgewater Township, Somerset County, have accused the former bookkeeper of the local office of Catholic Charities for keeping about $184,000 given to her by clients in cash over some years. When another bookkeeper had to replace her temporarily, the theft was discovered. (I understand this is why banks force their officers to take vacations.)
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On September 4, 2008, mycentralnewjersey.com reported that she was indicted for that amount, "second degree charge of failure to make required disposition of property."

St Mary, Denville, New Jersey

2008-06-24T19:01:00.004-05:00

Denville is in the diocese of Paterson, N. J.. Theft gets disclosed in strange ways. In this case, the IRS asked St Mary's parish to explain missing withholding taxes on the employees in the parish school. The pastor had someone else look at the books and discovered that the part-time bookkeeper, Patricia Cielinski, had written $30,000 of small checks to herself over two years. So the police have charged her with theft and forgery, which she denies. The article in the Newark Star-Ledger was dated 9.14.2007.
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The Star-Ledger reports that on June 9, 2008, her attorney gave the church a check for $15,000. It turns out she used the pastor's signature stamp for signing checks and depositing them in her own account. She was indicted in Morris, N.J., county court June 24, 2008. The article is here.
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On October 6, 2008, the Citizen of Morris County, N.J., reported that the suspect entered a guilty plea on October 8. In the deal, she receives no jail time, but three years of probation, dependent upon restitution. It seems that the parish was satisfied with the $15,000, but the court wants her to give the full amount, about $27,000. The article is here.

Our Lady Help of Christians, Cheektowaga, New York

2008-06-13T15:12:00.001-05:00

On June 12, 2008, the former financial officer of the parish of Our Lady Help of Christians, Cheektowaga, New York, was sentenced to a year in a local jail. Because of the amount of the theft, he could have been sentenced to a state prison for 15 years. See the article in the Buffalo News of June 12, 2008, here. A lengthy news report appeared 2.2.2008 in the Buffalo News here. The headline is "Former Our Lady Help of Christians' employee arrested in theft of $400,000."
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The article states that he was dismissed from his job as parish business manager after a random check of books by the diocese in April, 2007. The article is quite interesting because it reviews a pattern of random checks in the diocese of Buffalo uncovering thefts, raising the question of how to prevent the thefts in the first place. It seems that this fellow is broke because of a gambling habit, and that the parish is counting on the insurer to pay up. Apparently, the suspect wrote checks to himself over the course of several years. I note the nine months between the discovery of questionable bookkeeping and the arrest. I would guess that it takes long for prosecutors to nail down a provable case. In a case in Altamonte Springs, Florida, the prosecutors had so many records to check that they reviewed only enough to make serious charges.
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The Buffalo News of 4.4.2008 reports that Randall Koslowski pleaded guilty to charges that he stole almost $380,000. The article is here.