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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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WEST PALM BEACH, FL — Disgraced Irish pensioner priest Father John Skehan has been jailed for 14 months on charges of stealing more than $100,000 from his parish coffers in Florida.

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PROVIDENCE, RI – The former pastor of a Roman Catholic church in North Providence was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for stealing more than $123,400 from the parish.

The Rev. Philip Magaldi, who most recently was assigned to four rural parishes in Texas, was ordered to serve the sentence in the Adult Correctional Institutions’ work release program. No restitution was ordered because the judge said Magaldi is too poor to pay it.

Providence Bishop Louis E. Gelineau said he was barring Magaldi, 56, from performing his priestly functions until further notice.

Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Needham, an Irish Catholic, said it was the toughest sentencing decision he ever had to make.

Since childhood, the judge said, he has been taught that ”stealing from the poor box was one of the most heinous crimes you could commit.”

Magaldi pleaded guilty Feb. 28, to four counts of embezzlement of church funds. He admitted stealing money from weekly church collections, church bingo games and a parish activities fund between 1985 and 1988.

”No matter what the state says, I am repentent,” Magaldi said, breaking into tears prior to sentencing.

Magaldi and his lawyer said some of the money was used to make church renovations and pay salaries. Some also went to pay the mortgage of a man with cancer who was unable to support his family, the cleric said.

But Needham said substantial funds were unaccounted for and he believes Magaldi stole much more than $120,000.

According to the attorney general’s office, some of the money was spent on lottery tickets and lavish vacations with the priest’s young male friends in the Virgin Islands, Hawaii and Canada.

The judge cited another instance in which the priest met a male teenager in a park in Montreal and have him money to pay for a car so the youth could go to California.

Read summary that details his further crimes.