By Peter Franceschina and Missy Diaz
Orlando Sentinel [Florida]
March 8, 2007
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/sfl-0308ppriests,0,5366854.story?coll=orl-news-headlines
Palm Beach County prosecutors released hundreds of documents today offering more details into the secret lives of two priests accused of misappropriating $8.7 million from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach.
Statements from church employees, police reports and accounting statements show that the church coffers overflowed after weekly offerings, but that the two priests felt that the money was theirs to do with what they wished, including spending lavishly on themselves and their girlfriends.
The Rev. John Skehan was the pastor of St. Vincent for 40 years and established three "slush" funds that were kept off the church books, according to the records. He was succeeded in the fall of 2003 by the Rev. Francis Guinan, who allegedly perpetuated Skehan's financial skullduggery.
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| Rev. John Skehan |
Skehan, 79, and Guinan, 64, were arrested last fall on charges of grand theft over $100,000, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Both Irish-born priests have pleaded not guilt and are free on bail.
Guinan jetted off to Las Vegas and the Bahamas with a woman witnesses told investigators was his girlfriend. Skehan bought himself a $275,000 gold coin collection. Both men collected real estate and upscale homes. They created a complex maze for accountants to sort out, including multiple bank accounts and stock investment accounts secret from the diocese.
It was diocese policy to audit a parish every time a pastor retired, but Guinan fought Bishop Gerald Barbarito, new to his post, on that in the fall of 2003.
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| Rev. Francis B. Guinan |
Guinan didn't want an audit that would be more probing than the annual financial review. He asked the bishop to abolish the audit policy.
"My reasons for this request are as follows: It is demeaning, embarrassing and humiliating. It accomplishes nothing that could not be accomplished in a more dignified fashion," Guinan wrote to Barbarito in October 2003. "The money spent on audit is a waste and should be spent more wisely."
Barbarito continued to push for the audit, and when irregularities were found, Guinan was removed from his post and the bank accounts identified by the accountants were frozen. A parishioner concerned about financial irregularities sent an anonymous letter to Palm Beach County prosecutors. That sparked a yearlong investigation by Delray Beach police and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which led to the criminal charges.
Peter Franceschina can be reached at pfranceschina@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5503.
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