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	Jailed Priest Says Accuser in Las Vegas Wanted His Money Las Vegas Sun May 21, 2007 http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2007/may/21/052110362.html Las Vegas (AP) - A Roman Catholic priest claimed in a jailhouse interview that a woman who accused him of sexual assault and attempted murder in a January attack at a Las Vegas parish wanted his money. The Rev. George Chaanine told the Las Vegas Review-Journal for a Monday report that a church soloist and her daughter fabricated accusations to get more money from him. "I did my best for this family. They don't know what friendship is," Chaanine said of the soloist, a professional singer in Las Vegas who sang at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church, and who Chaanine hired in October as the parish events coordinator. The woman, 54, accused Chaanine, now 53, of hitting her in the head with a wine bottle, breaking her hand and groping her in a Jan. 26 attack at a church office. Chaanine has been jailed since his arrest Feb. 1 near Phoenix, where he was found after nearly a week on the run. He remains held in Las Vegas on $1 million bail after pleading not guilty to charges including attempted murder with a deadly weapon, battery with substantial bodily harm, sexual assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping. He could face life in prison if convicted. Chaanine's public defender, Scott Coffee, said Monday that Chaanine's trial date could be pushed back from July 31 to Jan. 8, due to scheduling conflicts. "We're up in the air because of the court calendar," Coffee said. Coffee said Chaanine's recent interviews with reporters showed his concern about how he was being portrayed in public. "He's concerned he's been portrayed as a monster," Coffee told The Associated Press. "There's two sides to this, and there does appear to be a money motive." Coffee said defense investigators were collecting records that showed Chaanine spent "thousands and thousands of dollars" in the months leading up to the alleged attack. "He spent a large portion of his life savings in a very short period of time supporting this family," Coffee said of the woman and her adult daughter. The accuser's lawyer, Robert Massi, called Chaanine's statements blaming the women "ludicrous." "How do you make up a physical assault?" Massi told the Review-Journal. "A court of law will decide who is telling the truth." Chaanine did not provide an explanation during a Sunday night jail interview for the woman's injuries. He refused to say whether the two had been romantically involved. Prosecutors have portrayed Chaanine as a violent predator and a flight risk. The woman's daughter testified at a preliminary hearing in February that she believed Chaanine was obsessed with wooing her mother. But the woman also testified that Chaanine gave her money to help pay her bills and mortgage and treated her to lunch daily. The accuser testified that Chaanine bought her shoes, clothes and groceries, and frequently took her out to eat. Chaanine downplayed friends' reports that the church turned its back on him, telling the Review-Journal he recently received spiritual support from the Diocese of Las Vegas. He said a diocese administrator visited him at the jail Friday. "I felt abandoned, but it is all cleared up," he said. Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal, http://www.lvrj.com
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