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	Only Top Lawyer Good Enough for High-Roller Priest By Jason O'Brien Irish Independent [Florida] October 30, 2006 http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1715198&issue_id=14827 He has been accused of spending millions of dollars of church funds on girlfriends, gambling and holidays. But Fr Francis Guinan's love for the trappings of wealth shows no sign of abating. The Offaly-born priest, one of two Irish clerics accused of stealing $8.6m from a church in Florida, returned to America from a month-long holiday cruise in Australia last week to finally face charges. But the lawyer he has hired to defend him won't come cheap. David Roth is considered the best criminal defence lawyer in Florida, and the man whom the wealthy go to when there is trouble and bad publicity. Among Mr Roth's other clients is former US Congressman Mark Foley, who was forced to resign last month when it emerged he had sent sexually explicit emails to boys under 18 who worked with him. Mr Foley had been the chair of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus in Washington DC before his spectacular fall from grace. But Mr Foley's decision to turn to David Roth for help and legal advice has been seen as a very clever move. And Fr Guinan (63) is also set to benefit from Mr Roth's expertise. "David has an impeccable reputation for excellence and integrity," Terri Skiles, a prosecutor in Florida's state attorney's office for 22 years, said. "He's thoroughly prepared. He's sort of your down-to-earth kind of lawyer that people can relate to. He goes straight to the heart of the case. You always know if David Roth is the defence attorney," Mr Skiles added, "you're going to have your hands full." Media Mr Roth will face a barrage of media interest when Fr Guinan and his predecessor at St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach, Fr John Skehan, go on trial. But a quick glance at some of his former clients shows that he is used to representing unpopular people. He represented Robert Spearman, who hired two killers through a magazine ad to bludgeon his wife to death in 1985. Spearman got life, and later hanged himself. Mr Roth also represented Patricia Bowman, who famously accused William Kennedy Smith - a nephew of JFK - of rape. He was acquitted in 1991. And he defended jewel dealer Jack Hasson, who was sentenced in 2000 to 40 years in federal prison for defrauding pro golfers Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman and others, and laundering money. Mr Roth was in regular contact with Fr Guinan while the priest decided to see out a planned holiday in Australia before handing himself over to American authorities. Fr Guinan was arrested, charged with grand theft of over $100,000, and released last week after landing in Miami. No date has yet been mentioned for the case going to court. "It seems he has returned to a place he owns about 50 miles north of Palm Beach," local newspaper reporter Michael LaForgia said yesterday. "Fr Skehan is also keeping a low profile, but that was always the way - they were always under the radar. David Roth will keep it that way, he likes his clients to keep a low profile." Fr Guinan is accused of spending hundreds of thousands of the church's money on property, girlfriends, and gambling.
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