LUXEMBOURG — Catholics in Luxembourg have expressed shock over a massive theft at their church’s Caritas charity, while hoping the scandal will not halt donations ahead of Pope Francis’ September visit.

“We are astonished — we never thought such a thing could happen,” said Gerard Kieffer, press officer for the Luxembourg Archdiocese. “But Caritas is legally and juridically independent of the church, so while we can anticipate negative consequences, reflections are underway as to how these might be limited.”

The church representative spoke to OSV News as investigations continued into the reported theft of 61 million euros ($67 million) from Caritas, one of Luxembourg’s largest charities, in fraudulent bank loans and transfers.

He said efforts were being made to “find solutions,” adding that the Catholic Church would issue a statement once the scandal’s parameters became clearer.

Meanwhile, a local Catholic priest said Luxembourg, which borders Germany, France and Belgium, was tightly regulated as a “financial hub,” fuelling consternation among church members as to “how one person could steal so much money.”

“This is a spectacular piece of embezzlement, and there appears to have been little if any competent oversight as this staffer used Caritas collateral to secure the loans,” the priest, who asked not to be named, told OSV News.

“It’s good that the alleged perpetrator was quickly identified and arrested. But people are wondering how this could have happened — and whether they can still donate to this Catholic charity with any confidence.”

Caritas confirmed July 19 it had filed a criminal complaint about misappropriated funds, pledging to “cooperate fully” with investigators, while continuing its mission of “supporting the most disadvantaged.”

Media reports said the money was diverted from the charity between February and July into bank accounts in Spain, while a female staffer had been bailed out after surrendering to police but denying theft charges.

In a July 22 interview with the French-language RTL agency, Caritas Director General Marc Crochet said he felt “conned” and “dumbfounded” by the revelations, insisting the Catholic organization, founded in 1932, remained “trustworthy.”

He added that the charity, which supports victims of poverty, homelessness and trafficking, as well as migrants and refugees, currently had 28 million euros ($30.6 million) in its account, mostly made up of government-assigned funds.

Meanwhile, in a July 23 statement, Caritas said it was counseling its “much shaken” employees and volunteers, and had received “numerous messages of solidarity and support from institutions, private companies and individuals.”

However, Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Xavier Bettel, branded the embezzlement “sickening” and warned it would impact “the poorest people” both at home and worldwide.

Meanwhile, the country’s prime minister, Luc Frieden, said July 24 the charity, which is committed to Catholic social teaching, had already obtained almost half the 45 million euros ($49 million) in government funding expected in 2024, and would receive no further state assistance until the crisis was settled.

In an Aug. 6 statement, Caritas said it had set up a “crisis committee,” headed by economic consultant Christian Billon and supported by the accountant firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to “restore confidence with all stakeholders,” and was also creating new entities to maintain its national and international activities.

Meanwhile, the Luxembourg Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Aug. 6 the charity had fallen victim to a “fake president method,” or “CEO fraud,” aimed at bypassing standard authorization procedures to procure payment of fake invoices, adding that it was still ascertaining the extent of the fraud.

Catholics traditionally make up two-thirds of the 662,000 inhabitants of Luxembourg, whose church was placed under direct Vatican supervision by St. John Paul II in 1988 and reduced its parishes from 274 to 33 in a 2017 reorganization to cope with falling Mass attendance rates.

Auxiliary Bishop Léon Wagener of Luxembourg, told OSV News he understood public interest in the “Caritas scandal,” but added that the church, headed by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, a member of the pope’s advisory council and relator-general of the Synod of Bishops, had not yet made a public statement.

Meanwhile, the director of the church’s “Reech eng Hand” pastoral program for refugees, Marie-Christine Ries, said she hoped the crisis would not fuel wider “public hostility.”

“With evidence still being collected, it’s too soon to say what lessons might be learned,” Ries told OSV News. “But we are a Catholic church organization, working from private donations with no government funding — so we must count on a continued willingness to give to projects like ours.”

The Caritas scandal broke amid preparations for a Sept. 26 Luxembourg stopover by Pope Francis, ahead of a four-day visit to neighboring Belgium for the sixth centenary of its Catholic universities of Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve.

In a joint statement for OSV News, Caritas Europa in Brussels and Caritas Internationalis in Rome said their 162 member-charities were “deeply saddened and alarmed” at the “financial appropriations,” and had been “in close contact” with offers of support.

They added that Caritas Luxembourg was a “highly-valued, autonomous member” of both networks, and was required by statute to “meet minimum standards of governance, organizational infrastructure, financial viability, accountability and compliance with professional standards and ethical codes of conduct.”

“Caritas Internationalis … is continuously working” with national Caritas members “to ensure compliance with international standards and continual improvement of their systems and procedures,” said the statement, co-signed by Maria Nyman and Alistair Dutton, the heads of Caritas Europe and Caritas Internationalis, respectively.

“Caritas’ Members financial systems and procedures are regularly internally and externally assessed as part of the Management Standards, and improvement plans are put in place to address any weaknesses that are identified,” the statement said.

Read original article

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican tribunal on Saturday convicted a cardinal of embezzlement and sentenced him to 5 ½ years in prison in one of several verdicts handed down in a complicated financial trial that aired the city state’s dirty laundry and tested its justice system.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the first cardinal ever prosecuted by the Vatican criminal court, was absolved of several other charges and nine other defendants received a combination of guilty verdicts and acquittals among the nearly 50 charges brought against them during a 2 ½ year trial.

Becciu’s lawyer, Fabio Viglione, said he respected the sentence but would appeal.

Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi said the outcome “showed we were correct.”

The trial focused on the Vatican secretariat of state’s 350 million euro investment in developing a former Harrod’s warehouse into luxury apartments. Prosecutors alleged Vatican monsignors and brokers fleeced the Holy See of tens of millions of euros in fees and commissions and then extorted the Holy See for 15 million euros to cede control of the building.

Becciu, the first-ever cardinal to be prosecuted in the Vatican’s criminal court, was accused of embezzlement-related charges in two tangents of the London deal and faced up to seven years in prison.

In the end, he was convicted of embezzlement stemming from the original investment of 200 million euros in a fund that bought into the London property, as well as for his 125,000 euro donation of Vatican money to a charity run by his brother in Sardinia. He was also convicted of using Vatican money to pay an intelligence analyst who in turn was convicted of using the money for herself.

The trial had raised questions about the rule of law in the city state and Francis’ power as absolute monarch, given that he wields supreme legislative, executive and judicial authority and had exercised it in ways the defense says jeopardized a fair trial.

Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi said the outcome “showed we were correct.”

Prosecutors accused Becciu of embezzlement for sending 125,000 euros in Vatican money to a Sardinian charity run by his brother. Becciu argued that the local bishop requested the money to build a bakery to employ at-risk youths and that the money remained in the diocesan coffers.

The tribunal acknowledged the charitable ends of the donation but convicted him of embezzlement, given his brother’s role.

Becciu was also accused of paying a Sardinian woman, Cecilia Marogna, for her intelligence services. Prosecutors traced some 575,000 euros in wire transfers from the Vatican to a Slovenian front company owned by Marogna and said she used the money to buy luxury goods and fund vacations.

Becciu said he thought the money was going to pay a British security firm to negotiate the release of Gloria Narvaez, a Colombian nun taken hostage by Islamic militants in Mali in 2017.

He said Francis authorized up to 1 million euros to liberate the nun, an astonishing claim that the Vatican was willing to make ransom payment to al-Qaida-linked militants.

The tribunal found both Becciu and Marogna guilty and sentenced Marogna to three years and 9 months in prison.

Read original article

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Yesterday, Darla Bralley, 59, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 24 months in federal prison for embezzling more than $450,000 from St. Paul The Apostle Catholic Church, announced U. S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On August 17, 2022, Bralley was charged by Information with wire fraud, and making and filing a false tax return. According to the Information, beginning in early 2014 and continuing through at least January 2020, Bralley devised a scheme to defraud and obtain money from St. Paul. Bralley was employed as payroll administrator for St. Paul during this period and had the authority to issue checks for authorized expenses on behalf of the church. The information alleges Bralley issued approximately 198 unauthorized checks, drawn from St. Paul’s checking account, to pay for various personal items including personal credit card payments, utilities, and living expenses. Bralley also made approximately 1,068 fraudulent, unauthorized transfers from the St. Paul checking account to pay her personal expenses. In all, Bralley defrauded St. Paul out of approximately $451,177.54.

The Information also alleges that on her 2018 U. S. Individual Income Tax Return, Bralley reported a total income that was substantially lower than what she received during the year as a result of the fraud.

On September 29, 2022, Bralley pleaded guilty to the two-count Information. As part of her plea, Bralley admitted to embezzling 451,177.54 from the church and she further admitted that she did not declare those funds on her annual tax returns.

At the sentencing hearing Tuesday, U. S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Bralley to serve 24 months in federal prison and ordered Bralley to pay restitution in the amount of $544,173.54. In announcing the sentence, Judge Palk noted that $451,177.54 would be paid to St. Paul, and $92,996.00 would be paid to the IRS.

The investigation was conducted by agents from the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, and the United States Secret Service. Assistant U. S. Attorney Charles Brown prosecuted the case.

Read original article

VERO BEACH, FL – A 72-year-old woman guilty of embezzling around $700,000 from Holy Cross Catholic Church on July 18 was ordered to prison for a decade followed by 20 years of probation.

Deborah Lynn True, a resident of Frederick, Colorado and a former parish administrator at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach, was also ordered to pay the church $697,138.98 in restitution after being released from prison, Circuit Judge Robert Meadows ruled during her sentencing hearing in the Indian River County Courthouse.

Standing before Meadows wearing a bright-colored print blouse and slacks, True remained silent as he imposed a sentence negotiated with state prosecutors during a May 1 hearing in which she pleaded no contest to first-degree grand theft. She was accused of misusing church donations over several years to pay off personal debts, records show.

The church is at 500 Iris Lane on Orchid Island.

The plea deal requires True to pay the restitution in equal monthly installments for the duration of her probation or face being returned to prison, court records show.

In sentencing True, Meadows said when she’s released from prison, she may not seek to terminate her probation term early and must make monthly restitution payments or face returning to prison.

“You will not return to the Holy Cross Catholic Church and you are subject to warrantless searches and seizures of yourself and your property,” Meadows told True. “Good luck to you ma’am.”

After court, Long said the only just sentence for True was a prison term.

“Stealing over $600,000 is bad enough, but taking it from a church and your fellow parishioners is especially egregious,” Long said.  “I thank the (Vero Beach Police Department) for bringing us such a strong case, and I believe the thoroughness of their investigation is why this matter resolved without a trial.”

True was arrested in September 2022 following a Vero Beach police investigation that began in December 2021 after the chief financial officer of the Diocese of Palm Beach reported True and the late Rev. Richard Murphy were suspected “of embezzling over $1 million in funds,” according to court filings.

Murphy was pastor at Holy Cross until he died at age 80 in March 2020. True retired in July 2020 and moved to Jacksonville, then Colorado.

An additional church bank account was discovered after a new pastor and bookkeeper were hired, an arrest affidavit stated.

According to police investigators, in 2012 True and Murphy opened a bank account hidden from the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach, and that nearly $1.5 million of parishioners’ donations were fraudulently deposited into the account since 2015.

Nearly $550,000 was used to pay True’s personal lines of credit, and about $147,000 was deposited into True’s personal checking accounts, records show.

When police spoke with True via phone, she told investigators she transferred to the church in 1997 with Murphy. They had worked at a Catholic church in Stuart from the mid-1980s until 1997.

She said her title at Holy Cross was “parish administrator” and her job “included tasks such as scheduling events, human resources, bookkeeping and payroll.”

“She was the only person who would deposit checks received by Holy Cross,” detectives noted.

She eventually told investigators she used funds to pay off her personal debt, saying Murphy gave her permission.

Police reported Murphy also appeared to benefit from the money, but because of his death a criminal investigation wasn’t conducted to identify an amount.

In court, after Meadows imposed True’s punishment, she was fingerprinted, handcuffed and escorted to a holding cell to be transferred to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections.

Her Vero Beach attorney Andy Metcalf later noted True was “left standing alone to be charged in this case when Father Murphy died and she remains alone now in taking responsibility. ”

“These cases can result in very favorable outcomes if there is an ability to pay restitution.  Ms. True was unable to do so,” he said. “I have received letters of anger and disgust and I have received letters of support for her.  One of the letters of support even questioning their fellow parishioners’ lack of compassion and forgiveness, wondering if Father Murphy was alive, would others in the church have been so harsh in their judgment.”

Read original article

RAPID CITY, SD — The federal court also ordered nearly $260,000 in restitution payments and $46,000 in back taxes.

A federal district court in South Dakota sentenced a priest to nearly eight years in prison. The court also ordered the priest to pay nearly $260,000 in restitution to three churches and $46,000 in back taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as a result of his embezzlement.

Background

A Catholic priest in South Dakota devised a scheme to steal cash collected from parishioners by secretly entering the areas in three parish churches where weekly donations were stored. The priest entered the church buildings late in the evening, removing and replacing special, tamper-proof bank bags, and making multiple same-day deposits totaling tens of thousands of dollars of stolen cash donations in a personal account.

Between 2012 and 2018, he stole nearly $260,000. The priest filed false tax returns for tax years 2013 through 2017 and used the stolen money to purchase for himself over a dozen gold-plated chalices, numerous bronze statues, a $10,000 diamond ring, a grand piano, expensive Mont Blanc fountain pens, and other items.

Leaders at one of the churches suspected something was not right with their finances and installed a hidden video camera where weekly collections were stored. In April of 2018, surveillance footage caught the priest “red-handed” stealing money from a locked money bag, according to the court. The church contacted federal authorities, who began a review of the finances of the three churches dating back seven and a half years.

Once the priest was made aware of the investigation, he drained his bank account of $40,000 and bought a one-way plane ticket to Poland. From that point forward, the three churches’ cash collections increased, returning to pre-investigation levels, according to investigators.

The priest was arrested by federal agents at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in May of 2019, just before his flight was to depart.

The priest was charged with 50 counts of wire fraud, nine counts of money laundering, one count of interstate transportation of stolen money, and five counts of making and subscribing a false tax return. A jury found him guilty on all counts in March of 2020, and he was sentenced by a federal judge in November of 2020 to nearly eight years in prison.

In addition, he was ordered to pay nearly $260,000 in restitution to be split equally between the three churches, plus an additional $46,000 in restitution to the IRS.

Read original article

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Members of Resurrection Parish in Santa Rosa expressed surprise, dismay and also forgiveness following Sunday’s revelation that Father Oscar Diaz has stolen tens of thousands of dollars from the collection bags.

“The total cash is in excess of $95,000,” wrote Bishop Robert Vasa of the Santa Rosa Diocese.

The church and police began to suspect an issue after Father Diaz suffered a hip injury in an automobile accident on June 19. Officers found bags of cash totaling $18,305 in the car, which Father Diaz described as his salary.

Investigations proved otherwise.

“My goal is some semblance of justice, reparation, and at least spiritual restitution,” said Vasa. “Criminal prosecution is not incompatible with the Gospel, but our goal must be both mercy and justice. It is now absolutely clear from solid evidence that he has been systematically stealing from parishes and parishioners for at least the past 15 years, included an indeterminable number of checks made out to parishes and deposited to Father Oscar’s personal account. I will not mention all of the details since there is no justifiable reason for me to do so.”

When asked if she trusts him, parish member Lynn Angeles said, “I just know he is a good man and my thought is, like a lot of us, we’re not perfect.”

While the church took the case to the Santa Rosa police, there does not appear to be enough evidence to prosecute.

After learning that, fellow parish member Reynaldo Carrasco said, “It’s hard to explain when you hear that, you know? For me, the money doesn’t matter. It’s the relationship with the people and trust that could be broken.”

The bishop has removed Father Oscar from Resurrection Parish and any other duties.

Those parishes in question include:

• Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Clearlake
• Queen of the Rosary Mission, Lucerne
• Saint Mary Immaculate Parish, Lakeport
• Saint Peter Mission, Kelseyville
• Saint Mary of the Angels Parish, Ukiah
• Saint Elizabeth Seton Mission
• Philo and Saint Francis Mission, Hopland

Read original article

FRESNO, CA — A former reverend at Tulare’s St. Rita’s Catholic Church was sentenced Wednesday to five years of probation, a recommendation from the county’s probation department and a request from the Fresno diocese.

The sentencing was issued despite Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward asking for a stiffer penalty

Ignacio Villafan, 52, pleaded guilty to one felony count of grand theft of personal property with the special allegation that the financial amount was more than $200,000.

He entered the plea on the fifth day of his March preliminary hearing.

Villafan was removed as reverend from St. Rita’s on Jan. 22, 2012, after a lengthy investigation into the church’s finances. At the time the allegations came to light, the church was fundraising to build a new location in Tulare.

During the investigation, it was determined more than $300,000 was missing.

According to prosecutors, between June 1, 2005, and Jan. 21, 2012, Villafan wrote checks for his personal daily use. The checks totaled more than $195,000. In addition, Villafan gave church money to benefit family members, according to the DA’s office.

The Fresno diocese said Villafan was placed on paid administrative leave and removed from all priestly duties.

He was arrested on Dec. 31, 2014.

In a statement, Bishop Armando Ochoa, who spoke at the sentencing hearing, said the impact of the crime Villafan was sentenced for is multifaceted.

“The breach of fiduciary responsibility of a pastor is more than just a monetary matter, it also carries with it a betrayal of a faith-based component where parishioners offer their financial support as a spiritual sacrifice intended to support the missionary activity of the church,” Ochoa said. “Therefore, this criminality is twofold, legal and relational.”

Ward said embezzling church funds hurt those who placed their trust in the former pastor.

“Many positions held in our communities are positions of trust, and it is troubling when that trust is betrayed,” Ward said. “Mr. Villafan’s crime affected those who trusted him in ways we’ll never know, and to this day Mr. Villafan has done little to nothing to restore that trust and faith.”

Ward disagreed with Villafan’s sentencing.

“To think that a person could steal such a large sum and not face incarceration undermines the justice that we in the District Attorney’s Office seek every day,” he said.

Ochoa said he wants Villafan to take responsibility for his actions and the aftermath.

“Once trust is broken, it is very difficult for it to be restored, yet not impossible,” Ochoa said. “The first step must be acknowledgment of responsibility with an expressed commitment to make restitution that is consistently put into action.”

A restitution hearing is scheduled for October.

Before working at St. Rita’s, Villafan was the parochial vicar at St. Anne Church in Porterville and the administrator at St. John the Evangelist Church in Tipton and St. Mary Chruch in Cutler.

He was named pastor at St. Rita’s on June 1, 2005.

Read original article

MADISON, WI — A press release recently issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicates that on August 25, 2017, Barbara Snyder, 59, of West Salem, Wisconsin, a, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. On Thursday, November 9, Jeffrey M. Anderson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Snyder was sentenced to four years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson. The investigation into Snyder’s financial activities was initiated by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS): merely one among thousands of prosecutions recommended each year.

Defendant Sentenced to 4 Years in Embezzlement, Tax Evasion Scheme Involving Church Funds

Prior to being criminally charged, Snyder was employed as a combination secretary and accounting clerk by St. Patrick’s Church in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Snyder likely believed her professional knowledge of tax law would enable her to elude detection by the IRS, but as demonstrated by her conviction (and many convictions obtained under similar circumstances), it is increasingly difficult for taxpayers to conceal acts of fraud or deception.

Snyder was, in her capacity as secretary and accounting clerk, entrusted with management of church collections. From the period spanning 2006 to 2015, Snyder embezzled from collections an amount of roughly $832,210. Rather than depositing the church collections as required by her job duties, Snyder retained funds to spend on personal pursuits like gambling.

Snyder took several actions, all of which were ultimately unsuccessful, to avoid attracting notice by the government. According to the DOJ press release, “Snyder discarded records of church collections, created false entries in accounting records, and lied to church auditors.” Additionally, in failing to disclose the income she (illegally) obtained through embezzlement of church funds, Snyder filed a false federal income tax return in 2015.

Snyder was eventually targeted for an IRS criminal investigation, led by CID with assistance from her former employer, St. Patrick’s Church, and the Diocese of La Crosse. After pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion and wire fraud, Snyder was sentenced to four years in prison. Specifically, Judge Peterson sentenced the defendant to two concurrent sentences: one four-year sentence for the wire fraud offense, to be served concurrently with a one-year sentence imposed for the tax evasion offense. Judge Peterson was critical of Snyder’s conduct during sentencing, noting the financial harm inflicted upon the local church community.

Read original article

DAYTON, OH — This newspaper’s investigation in May 2015 revealed the extent of the Rev. Earl Simone’s property holdings and issues with debt and unpaid taxes. We have followed this story as the case worked its way through the legal system.

The Rev. Earl Simone, 75, will spend 5 years in prison with no chance of early release for stealing $1.92 million from St. Peter Catholic Church in Huber Heights, where he was pastor for 23 years.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Dennis J. Langer on Wednesday imposed the prison sentence and ordered that Simone pay full restitution of the money the priest admitted stealing from the church.

Simone faced as many as 11 years in prison but agreed to pay restitution and serve five years when he pleaded guilty in March to a first-degree felony count of aggravated theft. His sentencing was delayed as he dealt with health issues, said his attorney, David P. Williamson.

The Rev. Steve Angi, representing the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and St. Peter Church, read a statement in court calling Simone’s theft a “betrayal” and said he not only stole parish funds but also money “from special collections for the nuns’ retirement, earthquake relief and other special causes.”

“Father Simone has lived lavishly by owning and managing properties purchased with parish resources,” said Angi, chancellor of the archdiocese, which oversees Catholic parishes in southwest Ohio.

In a short statement to the court before sentencing, Simone apologized and said “apologies are not enough.”

“It’s what follows after the apologies, how the rest of one’s life is lived,” Simone said. “No one, including me, expected this chapter.”

The court received 29 letters of support for Simone, some asking Langer for leniency that the judge said the plea agreement did not allow. Williamson read from a letter calling Simone “extraordinary” and saying he still had “a lot to give and teach and share.”

Simone declined comment before the sentencing, but Williamson said the priest is in a “good” state of mind.

“There is a sense of relief of getting to this point, moving on to the next chapter,” Williamson said. “I know he appreciates the support that he has received from many people.”

Simone, who came to court in a wheelchair and looked frail and drawn, was taken into custody immediately. The prison system will evaluate Simone and determine where he will serve his sentence, said JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

As of Aug. 1 there were 224 inmates aged 75 years old or older in Ohio prisons, Smith said. That is less than one-half of 1 percent of the total prison population of 50,750.

Simone also faces a $4 million lawsuit filed by the archdiocese, which alleges that he stole far more than he admitted and that he had up to 10 non-clerical unnamed co-conspirators who assisted him in stealing church funds. Angi said “he directed some parish staff over the years to assist” in the theft.

Church officials believe Simone stole $4.1 million, but because bank records are retained for just seven years the level of proof was less than for the $1.92 million he was charged with taking, said Dan Andriacco, spokesman for the archdiocese.

In his response to the lawsuit Simone said he didn’t take any more than $1.92 million and denied he had help.

Williamson said the priest will not be able to pay back the money.

“From what I know he does not have $1.9 million and does not have $4 million,” Williamson said.

Ward Barrentine, assistant county prosecutor, said officials hope that the sale of Simone’s property will help toward payment of restitution.

Simone has repaid nothing, but St. Peter will receive $3 million from the archdiocese and insurance, Andriacco said.

“Archbishop (Dennis) Schnurr’s reaction to this entire situation is one of great sadness,” Andriacco said.

He said that while Pope Francis has declared 2016 The Year of Mercy, “there’s mercy but there is also justice. When somebody commits a crime or makes a mistake they must pay the price.”

Church officials began investigating financial irregularities at St. Peter early last year and Simone resigned and took a medical retirement in April 2015. He also resigned as administrator of Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Adalbert, St. Stephen and Holy Cross churches, all in Old North Dayton.

A Dayton Daily News investigation last year found Simone bought $2.8 million worth of property — mostly houses and apartments in Huber Heights — between 1994 and 2014. Much of the property was owned by his business, Flynn Realty, and he ran a bagel shop in Vandalia that closed in 2006, mired in tax debt.

Simone accumulated nearly $671,000 in court judgments or settlements and tax liens that were released after payment. He also faced 91 maintenance or zoning code violations between 2000 and 2015.

Simone was ordained in Cincinnati in 1977 and served as associate pastor at St. Teresa in Springfield before joining the U.S. Navy in 1980, where he served as a chaplain. He retired from the military as a lieutenant commander in 1992 and returned to the archdiocese, where he was appointed St. Peter pastor in August 1992.

Read original article

DETROIT, MI — The longtime former pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in Troy who pleaded guilty in September in connection to allegations he misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in parish funds was sentenced Dec. 1 to serve 27 months in prison and pay $573,000 in restitution.

U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow sentenced Fr. Edward Belczak to serve the prison term, despite requests from the priest’s attorney and supporters for a more lenient sentence. The sentence was less than the 37 months prosecutors sought, however.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Detroit said the archdiocese fully respects the judge’s decision and urged continued prayers for all involved, including parish members and those close to Fr. Belczak.

“There is a lot of hurt resulting from this crime, a lot of wounded people,” said Ned McGrath, director of communications for the archdiocese. “We continue to pray for healing at the parish and for all those impacted, including Fr. Belczak.”

Speaking in court during his sentencing hearing, Fr. Belczak, 70, admitted he had “stained the reputation” of the priesthood and asked for forgiveness from his former parishioners. He called his decision to take parish money to gamble in the stock market “selfish,” and said he often drank alcohol to excess.

“By lying and drinking and stealing and gambling, it took away my peace,” he said, adding the “guilt and embarrassment” of his deeds were often “overwhelming.”

Fr. Belczak was removed from St. Thomas More Parish in January 2013 after financial irregularities were discovered during an archdiocesan audit. He was subsequently banned from publicly representing himself as a priest after being charged with the federal crimes in 2014.

A parish office manager, Janice Verschuren, also pleaded guilty in November to stealing more than $25,000 from the parish and is scheduled to be sentenced in 2016.

With sentencing by the court completed, the archdiocese intends to resume canonical proceedings against Fr. Belczak, a statement from the archdiocese said.

Fr. Belczak served as pastor of St. Thomas More Parish from 1984-2013. Before then, he served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Farmington (1980-84), and as associate pastor and later co-pastor of National Shrine of the Little Flower Parish, Royal Oak (1972-80).

Read original article