Fay Seeks Delay in Sentencing, Darien Times, October 16, 2007

Fay Seeks Delay in Sentencing

Darien Times
October 16, 2007

http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/darien/23920.shtml

Father Michael Jude Fay, who pleaded guilty to stealing possibly more than $1 million from St. John Roman Catholic Parish, is seeking a delay in his sentencing, saying he is dying of cancer.

Fay pleaded guilty in federal court last month to interstate transportation of money obtained by fraud. He resigned last year as pastor of St. John Roman Catholic Church.

Father Fay walks from the New Haven federal courthouse where he plead guilty to charges of using St. John Parish money for his personal use.
Photo by Ralph Petitti

Fay, who faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 4, asked that his sentencing be delayed until April. He says his prostate cancer has spread to his bones and lymph nodes and has become resistant to chemotherapy.

Fay has begun a different chemotherapy designed to delay the cancer. His attorney says in a court filing that those in his condition generally have an expected lifespan of several months, but his doctor cautions against applying statistics to his case.

Fay wants the sentencing to occur after the treatment has been administered, saying the court would be in a better position to consider the impact of his illness on his sentence.

A judge has not ruled on the request yet. Prosecutors have not filed court papers.

In May 2006, it was discovered that Fay had been using church money to support his lavish lifestyle, which included trips to Europe, the Caribbean and other parts of the United States. A private investigation — prompted by another church priest and its bookkeeper — also discovered that Fay was in a romantic relationship with a Philadelphia event planner, Cliff Fantini. Fay resigned shortly after the news broke.

An August 2006 independent audit commissioned by the Diocese of Bridgeport, reported that St. John Parish lost at least $1.4 million since 2000. Fay became church pastor in 1991.

Authorities say Fay set up secret bank accounts to pay for a life of luxury, including traveling around the world and buying a condominium.

Prosecutors said Fay took between $1 million and $2.5 million over seven years, but the priest has disputed that. He admitted to taking between $400,000 and $1 million.

Fay shopped at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, drove a Jaguar, attended a sports club, bought jewelry from Cartier, spent $130,000 for limo rides for himself and his mother, and stayed at hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Hotel De Paris and the Four Seasons Hotel, the church report found.

He spent tens of thousands of dollars on home furnishings and meals and more than $20,000 to mark the 25th anniversary of his ordination, according to the church report.

Fay was released on a $50,000 bond and required to surrender his passport immediately. His travel, the judge said, is restricted to Connecticut and Florida. He was told he cannot go to New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania without giving notice to his probation officer. He will also be required to report to probation officers in Connecticut and Florida.

Fay's attorney, Lawrence Hopkins, asked if his client had to give notice to travel to New York, where he is receiving cancer treatment, and to go to New Jersey to visit his mother. Judge Arterton said he could go, but not without giving advanced notice.

A federal judge scheduled sentencing for Dec. 4 in New Haven. With the guilty plea, Fay waved his right to appeal — unless he is sentenced to more than 57 months.