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	Theft Charges Dropped against Priests, but State Attorney Vows to Refile By Susan Spencer-Wendel Palm Beach Post February 16, 2008 http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/south/epaper/2008/02/16/s1c_PRIESTS_0216.html WEST PALM BEACH — With a trial bearing down and a judge and lawyers at loggerheads, prosecutors on Friday dropped the charge against a Catholic priest facing prison for allegedly bilking a Delray church of hundreds of thousands of dollars. State Attorney Barry Krischer signed the document himself - with an assurance of refiling the charge against the Rev. John Skehan when prosecutors are prepared to try him for the alleged crime, likely in June. Krischer also dropped the charge against the Rev. Francis Guinan with an assurance of refiling it, a state attorney's office spokesman said. Both priests could face up to 30 years in prison on the charge of grand theft over $100,000. Skehan, 80, and Guinan, 65, had been scheduled to face a jury this month. The dramatic move came after Circuit Judge Sandra McSorley chided the lawyers Friday for their delays in exchanging evidence and preparing for trial. McSorley laid out a stringent schedule for them and declined to rule on their request for a continuance in the complex financial case. In response, Krischer had strong words: "It is the state who controls prosecution, not the court," Krischer wrote. The dropping of the charges is the state's "assertion of its authority to control its prosecutions and to ensure the defendants receive a fair trial." Police charged Skehan and Guinan in September 2006 with stealing offertory money from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach. Detectives called them "professional money launderers" and estimated the men had misappropriated millions over the years at the parish, spending some on lavish trips, gambling and girlfriends. Defense attorney David Roth, who represents Guinan, and Assistant State Attorney Preston Mighdoll, who is prosecuting the men, did not return calls for comment. Defense attorney Scott Richardson, who represents Skehan, could not be reached for comment. A trial could spotlight accounting practices within the Catholic Church that are under increasing scrutiny as more embezzlement cases are uncovered within parishes. Until then, defense attorneys are to keep the priests' passports, according to Krischer's document.
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