A Catholic priest was arrested in the United States for embezzling more than US$40,000 (about R$207,000) from church reserves to play Candy Crush, Mario Kart Tour and Pokemon Go on his smartphone. The 51-year-old former clergyman served at St. Thomas More Church in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, before being relieved of his duties.
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Authorities discovered the crimes in 2022, leading to his arrest on April 25 on charges of robbery and other related offenses.
The investigation began in 2019, when an audit of the church’s accounts revealed a significant volume of Apple transactions linked to the parish’s credit card. The embezzled money, according to The Philadelphia Enquirer, was spent on purchases of games such as Candy Crush, Mario Kart Tour and Pokemon Go.
In his defense, the priest argued that the purchases were accidental and the result of a lack of attention to detail.
Read more: “Priest accused of sexual crimes goes to house arrest”
Money back
The priest admitted to being “disappointed that he had let himself get to this point” and acknowledged that he had no excuse, except for the lack of attention. He used US$10,000 of his own money to pay off part of his credit card debt and returned US$8,000 to the church in the form of a check. The Catholic also left an apology.
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