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Detroit-Area Priest Who Stole Money Gets 27 Months In Prison

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A Detroit-area Roman Catholic priest who said he "stained" his profession by embezzling more than $500,000 was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in prison.

U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow rejected a light sentence sought by the Rev. Ed Belczak, but the punishment was shorter than the three years in prison recommended by prosecutors.

The government said Belczak "took what he pleased" from St. Thomas More Church in Troy to buy a Florida condominium from his parish manager and invest in stocks. Much of the $573,000 came from a deceased parishioner's bequest to the church, which Belczak had led for nearly 30 years.

"Father Belczak's crime was not an isolated incident or a momentary lapse of judgment, but an orchestrated scheme perpetrated over time to defraud the people he claimed to serve," U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said.

"I humbly apologize to all I betrayed," said Belchak before sentencing, admitting it took him three years before taking full responsibility for the crime. "I have stained the reputation of being a priest."

Belczak and his supporters had hoped they could persuade the judge to keep him out of prison, saying his crime shouldn't overshadow years of good work. Defense attorney Jerome Sabbota said running the large, prosperous parish was stressful.

"I think 27 months may be a little high , but then he did it not to punish him - he did it for general deterrence," said Sabbota, who pushed for home confinement. "To let everyone else know and that's a valid reason."

He said he wanted a lifestyle "like the people I served," adding that he gambled on the stock market, drank alcohol excessively and "began to believe my own hype."

While some cried in court during Belczak's sentencing one woman did not.

"He got his," says Shelly, who cared for Belczak's mom at a Catholic care facility and said he was disrespectful to the residents, "you just don't get away with things like that."

Belczak was removed from St. Thomas More in 2013 after an audit raised questions about finances.

Church manager Janice Verschuren was charged with fraud and conspiracy. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in October, admitting she kept her divorced husband on the church's health insurance at a cost of $26,000. She will be sentenced Jan. 21.

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.
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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