I'm not one to post about every unseemly, immoral, or illegal thing that comes to light about folks in positions of authority in religion. But there are times certainly when something is so appalling that is just cannot be left to slink away quietly into the night. The following article is one of those instances...
From Times Online
January 22, 2009
Priest stole from US church to go on gambling binge
byline:Anne Barrowclough
Every Sunday, the parishioners of St Vincent Ferrer Catholic church in Florida dropped their dollar notes into the collection plate, confident that the money would go straight into the church.
And so it did - but not in quite the way they might have expected.
First, it went into a hiding place in the ceiling tiles of the Delray Beach Church. Then it found its way into an offshore account from where it was used to fund gambling trips to Las Vegas, lavish homes and even a mistress. Over a quarter of a million dollars was spent on a rare coin collection.
So, the cash was stolen (sin and illegal), used for gambling (sin), luxurious homes & high-price coin collections show a skewed perspective of the use of wealth by Christians in any event, but with stolen funds as well...(totally sinful), and since he apparently lavished money on his mistress, that qualifies as both adultery and prostitution (sin).
In a Florida court yesterday, Reverend John Skehan, 81, pleaded guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in what prosecutors believe may be the biggest embezzlement case to hit the US Catholic Church. He and his colleague, Rev Francis Guinan, 66, who has denied the charges, were about to go on trial for the theft of nearly $1million between 2001 and 2006 - the time frame covered by the statute of limitations. However, church auditors believe the true amount could be closer to $8 million, stolen over a period of 20 years.
$8 million !! Or approximately $400,000 per man per year. The average pastor salary in the USA is roughly $40,000.
As well as spending their parishioners' money on interstate gambling trips, Rev Guinan spent much of the funds taking his mistress, a former church book-keeper, on luxury holidays, prosecutors claim. He also paid her credit card bills and her child's school fees.
His mistress was the church book-keeper. Anyone find it highly doubtful that she not only reaped the obvious gains from all this theft, but that she was likley involved in it being stolen in the first place?
His luxurious life began to unravel in 2005, however, when a tip off from an anonymous parishioner prompted police to contact the church, which was already investigating alleged improprieties at St Vincent Ferrer, and an audit of the church books.
I wonder if the parishioner also tipped off the local Bishop or someone similar. This says that the church was already being investigated, but makes no mention here (or anywhere in the article) about any intervention or even reactions to all of it by the higher offices.
The two priests fled the country, but Rev Guinan wrote to the church begging them to "call off the dogs", and protesting his innocence in a passionate letter in which he described himself and Rev Skehan as "generous, charitable and compassionate".
Flee the country, and then proclaim your innocence? Uh-huh, like that goes a long way to clearing your name. I bet he was generous and charitable...when tipping his waitresses at the casinos.
"Priests devote their lives to the church with little thought for personal gain," he argued. "They have earned and deserve trust, at least until proven otherwise ... May I be so crude as to ask you to 'call off the dogs'?"
Anyone for a new illustrative definition for the word "hubris"?
His pleas were ignored and Rev Skehan was arrested at Palm Beach International Airport in September 2006, returning from the Republic of Ireland.
Richard Barlow, Rev Guinan's lawyer, yesterday insisted his client did nothing wrong and that the money he allegedly stole was really used to make cash payments to church employees. "Just because both priests worked at the same church and one pleads guilty it doesn't mean my guy is guilty," said Mr Barlow. Rev Guinan’s trial has now been adjourned until February 18.
Even IF it was true that the cash was taken and used to pay church employees in cash, it would still be theft of funds, AND it would bring on charges for other illegalities like Tax Evasion. Rather than exonerating this guy, this claim would at best - implicate other church employees in illegal activity!
Rev Skehan faces 31 years in prison, although he is expected to call 20 character witnesses at his sentencing, scheduled for March.
His lawyer, Scott Richardson, said he and the state had reached an "amicable resolution" and that "Father Skehan accepted responsibility for his actions by virtue of his guilty plea."
He added: "It's been extraordinarily difficult for him from the beginning."
So hard, it took 20 years and actually getting caught for him to stop struggling with it.
"you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? (22) You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (23) You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? (24) For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. - Romans 2:21-24
peace/faith/hope/love
serloren
From Times Online
January 22, 2009
Priest stole from US church to go on gambling binge
byline:Anne Barrowclough
Every Sunday, the parishioners of St Vincent Ferrer Catholic church in Florida dropped their dollar notes into the collection plate, confident that the money would go straight into the church.
And so it did - but not in quite the way they might have expected.
First, it went into a hiding place in the ceiling tiles of the Delray Beach Church. Then it found its way into an offshore account from where it was used to fund gambling trips to Las Vegas, lavish homes and even a mistress. Over a quarter of a million dollars was spent on a rare coin collection.
So, the cash was stolen (sin and illegal), used for gambling (sin), luxurious homes & high-price coin collections show a skewed perspective of the use of wealth by Christians in any event, but with stolen funds as well...(totally sinful), and since he apparently lavished money on his mistress, that qualifies as both adultery and prostitution (sin).
In a Florida court yesterday, Reverend John Skehan, 81, pleaded guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in what prosecutors believe may be the biggest embezzlement case to hit the US Catholic Church. He and his colleague, Rev Francis Guinan, 66, who has denied the charges, were about to go on trial for the theft of nearly $1million between 2001 and 2006 - the time frame covered by the statute of limitations. However, church auditors believe the true amount could be closer to $8 million, stolen over a period of 20 years.
$8 million !! Or approximately $400,000 per man per year. The average pastor salary in the USA is roughly $40,000.
As well as spending their parishioners' money on interstate gambling trips, Rev Guinan spent much of the funds taking his mistress, a former church book-keeper, on luxury holidays, prosecutors claim. He also paid her credit card bills and her child's school fees.
His mistress was the church book-keeper. Anyone find it highly doubtful that she not only reaped the obvious gains from all this theft, but that she was likley involved in it being stolen in the first place?
His luxurious life began to unravel in 2005, however, when a tip off from an anonymous parishioner prompted police to contact the church, which was already investigating alleged improprieties at St Vincent Ferrer, and an audit of the church books.
I wonder if the parishioner also tipped off the local Bishop or someone similar. This says that the church was already being investigated, but makes no mention here (or anywhere in the article) about any intervention or even reactions to all of it by the higher offices.
The two priests fled the country, but Rev Guinan wrote to the church begging them to "call off the dogs", and protesting his innocence in a passionate letter in which he described himself and Rev Skehan as "generous, charitable and compassionate".
Flee the country, and then proclaim your innocence? Uh-huh, like that goes a long way to clearing your name. I bet he was generous and charitable...when tipping his waitresses at the casinos.
"Priests devote their lives to the church with little thought for personal gain," he argued. "They have earned and deserve trust, at least until proven otherwise ... May I be so crude as to ask you to 'call off the dogs'?"
Anyone for a new illustrative definition for the word "hubris"?
His pleas were ignored and Rev Skehan was arrested at Palm Beach International Airport in September 2006, returning from the Republic of Ireland.
Richard Barlow, Rev Guinan's lawyer, yesterday insisted his client did nothing wrong and that the money he allegedly stole was really used to make cash payments to church employees. "Just because both priests worked at the same church and one pleads guilty it doesn't mean my guy is guilty," said Mr Barlow. Rev Guinan’s trial has now been adjourned until February 18.
Even IF it was true that the cash was taken and used to pay church employees in cash, it would still be theft of funds, AND it would bring on charges for other illegalities like Tax Evasion. Rather than exonerating this guy, this claim would at best - implicate other church employees in illegal activity!
Rev Skehan faces 31 years in prison, although he is expected to call 20 character witnesses at his sentencing, scheduled for March.
His lawyer, Scott Richardson, said he and the state had reached an "amicable resolution" and that "Father Skehan accepted responsibility for his actions by virtue of his guilty plea."
He added: "It's been extraordinarily difficult for him from the beginning."
So hard, it took 20 years and actually getting caught for him to stop struggling with it.
"you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? (22) You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (23) You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? (24) For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. - Romans 2:21-24
peace/faith/hope/love
serloren
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