awan la’t naimbag a damag. ngem asino’t nasaysayaat, ‘tay rapist wenno pedophile a padi, wenno daytoy agtatakaw a padi? 

Priest nabbed for skimming more than $8.5M

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 10:08am (Mla time) 09/29/2006

MIAMI — A Roman Catholic priest was arrested and another was being sought for stealing more than 8.5 million dollars skimmed from parish collection baskets over 40 years and spending it on real estate, gambling, trips and meals, police said Thursday.

John Skehan, 79, was arrested late Wednesday, and police were looking for another priest, Francis Guinan. Skehan was charged with grand theft over 100,000 dollars and bond was set at 400,000 dollars.

Michael Driscoll of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said, "In Father Skehan’s case we identified certain amount in real estate properties that he had purchased, on the other hand in Father Guinan’s case we found he used it more in lifestyle such as traveling, visits to Las Vegas, casinos, in the Bahamas."

The charges were in response to an anonymous tip to police in 2005.

"We got an anonymous letter that started all," said Jeff Messer, spokesman of the Delray Beach Police. "One is in custody, one is not … we’re still looking for his location, we knew where he was up until Monday."

Parish manager John Krolikowski said, "We are all saddened by the events that are taking place, father Skehan has been with us for a long time, I think 40 years."

"We hope the parishioners base their faith on God and Jesus and not on men," said Krolikowski.