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	Embezzlement Charges Mount against Former Va. Priest By Larry O'Dell WVEC [Louisa CA] March 13, 2007 http://www.wvec.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8NQRTL04.html Members of two rural Roman Catholic parishes who came to hear their former priest enter his plea to an embezzlement charge left the Louisa County Courthouse frustrated Monday after additional charges prompted a postponement. Circuit Judge Timothy Sanner rescheduled the arraignment for March 30 after a grand jury indicted the Rev. Rodney L. Rodis on 12 additional counts of embezzlement Friday. Rodis, 50, remains free on $10,000 bond. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond has said Rodis embezzled more than $600,000 from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bumpass and St. Jude Church in Mineral. Rodis was pastor of the churches from 1993 until his retirement last May. Rodis could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the 13 counts if he is convicted, defense attorney Jack Maus told reporters after the brief court appearance Monday. Some of the approximately two dozen parishioners who attended the hearing were disappointed by the delay. "I came expecting to hear a plea," said Bill Hynes, a member of St. Jude. "I want to see justice done and done soon." Rodis said there was nothing unusual about the postponement. "The wheels of justice turn slowly," he said. "We're trying to do this in an orderly fashion." Rodis used a cane as he walked into the courtroom, then sat silently and expressionless against a side wall until his case was called. "He wouldn't look at us," said Ellen McGough, another St. Jude parishioner. Rodis did not speak during the hearing or to reporters afterward. Court records show that police seized from Rodis' home bank records and other items, including a receipt for Lucky Money dated May 24, 2006. Lucky Money Inc. is a service for wiring money to the Philippines, Rodis' home country. Authorities alleged Rodis opened an account in a church's name at a bank in Fredericksburg, deposited donations in the account and then diverted them for personal use. The diocese said it became aware of financial irregularities in the fall when a donor to Immaculate Conception requested verification of a $1,000 contribution for tax purposes and the parish could not find a record of the donation. The investigation of Rodis also uncovered court records listing Rodis and Joyce Sillador-Rodis as husband and wife on a deed of trust for a mortgage on a house they shared with three children in Spotsylvania County. Rodis has denied being married to the woman, although neighbors say he has referred to her as his wife for the past decade. Maus, who has said the woman and children have moved to New Mexico, told reporters Monday that he could not elaborate on Rodis' marital situation.
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