Man Who Ran a Church Bank Is Sentenced for Stealing Over $1 Million

A former finance manager at a New Jersey Catholic parish has been found guilty of embezzling more than one million dollars from the church.

The man, who worked at St. Leo the Great in Lincroft handling money and operations, left the parish last June. After his departure, church staff noticed a series of strange charges in the accounts.
Investigators traced those expenses back to him and, in October 2025, charged him with theft and tax fraud.

Investigation Findings

• The first audit by law enforcement uncovered $674,000 missing from the church coffers.
• A deeper look revealed that he had siphoned off over $1 million and also hid income from taxes.

Misused Funds

He reportedly used the stolen money for:

• A luxury SUV
• Designer clothes
• Home repairs
• Tickets to New York Yankees games
• Fishing trips and other personal items

Plea Agreement

In a plea agreement, he admitted to the theft and agreed to:

• Pay $1.2 million back to the church
• Owe roughly $73,000 to the state treasury

Legal Outcome

The state prosecutor recommends a five‑year prison term.
A church spokesperson was not available to comment at the time of the announcement.

The judge will set a sentencing date soon, following the recommendation from the Attorney General’s office.