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Priest's Allies Say His Good Works Outweigh His Embezzlement Crimes

TROY (WWJ/AP) - Dozens of people are seeking mercy for a Detroit-area Catholic priest who could go to prison for stealing money.

The Rev. Edward Belczak returns to federal court Tuesday for his sentence. He pleaded guilty to fraud in an embezzlement scheme at St. Thomas More Church in Troy.

Investigators say Belczak stole about $573,000, and some of that money was used to buy a Florida condominium from his church manager.

In a letter to the judge, auto dealer Jeffrey Cauley says Belczak has touched thousands of lives. Kathleen Marshall says she would welcome him back as pastor at St. Thomas More.

But prosecutors are seeking a three-year prison sentence, saying probation would be a "gentle wrist-slap."

Belczak's attorney says he had been drinking heavily and gambling on the stock market.

Belczak, who was ordained in 1972, has been pastor of St. Thomas More Parish since 1984. He was removed from duties in 2013 after an audit raised questions about parish finances.

The archdiocese says an audit found that Belczak paid a "ghost employee" $240,000. It also said the priest also took $92,000 in compensation above what he's supposed to get under church policies.

According to the archdiocese, Belczak directed funds to himself that should have been posted to parish accounts, estimating a loss to the parish of $16,000.

The archdiocese says Belczak also failed to record or deposit monies received through the Mother's Day and Father's Day special collections according to archdiocesan policies, an amount estimated over $10,000, which was found in an employee's office desk.

Other misappropriations attributed to Belczak include maintaining improper medical and dental insurance coverage for an individual, estimating a loss of approximately $26,000; authorizing a long-term disability policy for one employee while not providing similar benefits to other parish staff members, estimating a loss of $20,000; and accepting, but not depositing or recording in parish accounts, residual commission checks to the St. Thomas More Travel Group, estimating a loss of $25,000.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

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