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	Theft, Fraud Counts Vs. Valley Priest Stay in Place By Michael Clancy The Arizona Republic August 26, 2007 http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0826riccitelli0827.html A Superior Court judge declined last week to dismiss theft and fraud charges against a Catholic priest, but he may be off the hook anyway. The case against the Rev. Dennis Riccitelli, formerly a pastor in Mesa, is in limbo as the Maricopa County Attorney's Office decides whether to seek new indictments. Judge Silvia Arellano last month sent the case back to the grand jury, saying the prosecutor used "false or misleading and incomplete evidence" in gaining indictments in December 2004. Specifically, Arellano ruled that Mesa detectives who investigated the case lied about the existence of a finance council at the church, as required by church rules, and misled grand jurors about rental properties involved in the case. In addition, she ruled that prosecutors failed to instruct the grand jury on church law and policies governing the activities of pastors. Riccitelli was indicted in December 2004, accused of theft and fraud involving about $160,000 in missing funds at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mesa.
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