Former Rapid City priest accused of stealing $150K in diocese donations
A former priest with the Rapid City Diocese has been charged with federal wire fraud for allegedly stealing about $150,000 in donations between July 2012 and April 2018 and depositing the cash into his personal account, according to court records. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Marcin Garbacz was arrested Friday, May 10, at the Seattle airport by a special agent with the IRS, records show. His arrest affidavit is permanently sealed after a federal prosecutor said it contains information about an ongoing investigation and could lead to witness intimidation, the Rapid City Journal reported.
This is not the first time Garbacz has been accused of stealing from the diocese. He was suspended from his ministry duties in May 2018 after church officials caught him stealing and sent him to a treatment program in St. Louis.
In October 2018, Garbacz pleaded guilty in state court to first-degree petty theft and received a suspended imposition of sentence, which means his record will be sealed from the public.
Read more: https://www.inforum.com/news/crime-and-courts/1020822-Former-Rapid-City-priest-accused-of-stealing-150K-in-diocese-donations
Other comments here since I posted in the wrong state group:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1070593
= new reply since forum marked as read
