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Father Joseph McLoone, 56, was charged with felony theft and other related crimes after allegedly depositing into a personal account thousands of dollars in donations from parishioners of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, between 2011 and 2018, according to the Chester County district attorney’s office.
The diverted funds were allegedly contained in a bank account named “St. Joseph Activity Account,” which McLoone opened Nov. 2, 2011 — his first All Souls holiday as pastor of the church.
“Father McLoone held a position of leadership and his parishioners trusted him to properly handle their generous donations to the church,” Chester County District Attorney Chief of Staff Charles Gaza wrote in a statement. “Father McLoone violated the trust of the members of St. Joseph’s for his own personal gain.”
In addition to pocketing the All Souls’ collection each year, along with other donations addressed to St. Joseph’s, the district attorney’s office also said McLoone doubled the stipend he collected for saying each mass and performing weddings and funerals.
McLoone, who as a Catholic priest took an oath of celibacy, told investigators that he used some of the stolen funds to pay for “personal relationships” with other men, according to an affidavit from the Chester County DA’s office. In 2018, he made 10 deposits totaling more than $1,200 via J-Pay, an app that allows users to send money to inmates, to a man in a New York correctional facility. The inmate was identified in court documents as Brian Miller, whom McLoone allegedly met on Grindr. Between April 2015 and April 2017, McLoone allegedly also made 17 payments totaling $1,720 to other men he met on the gay dating app.
Priest allegedly stole church money for personal travel, Grindr dates
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia called the charges against Father Joseph McLoone, 56, “serious and disturbing.”
www.nbcnews.com
