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	Ex-Priest Theft Case Is Reinstated By Calvin R. Trice Richmond Times-Dispatch May 6, 2008 http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-05-06-0157.html A Louisa County grand jury yesterday reinstated 13 theft counts against a former Catholic priest convicted in federal court of defrauding two local churches of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rodney L. Rodis, 51, was sentenced in February to five years in federal prison for diverting for personal use money donated to the two county parishes he headed. County authorities initially charged Rodis with 13 felony embezzlement counts last year after church officials realized he had stolen donation money. Then-prosecutor R. Don Short dropped the state counts to allow the federal case to proceed. However, the move reserved the state's right to bring the charges back at a later time. Thomas A. Garrett, subsequently elected as Louisa's commonwealth's attorney, said he kept an eye on the federal case after taking office. Rodis was sentenced for mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering -- not for stealing, Garrett noted. "I think the federal court did its job, but I think it's appropriate that the embezzlement be addressed," Garrett said. The state charges accuse Rodis of stealing money from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bumpass and St. Jude Catholic Church in Mineral while he was pastor. The counts cover thefts from 1995 to 2006. He could face a prison term of up to 260 years if convicted on all charges. Rodis retired from the churches in May 2006. Officials with the Diocese of Richmond, which includes the Louisa parishes, launched an investigation months later, after discovering that a $1,500 donation had been deposited into a bank account the church knew nothing about. Both parishes had been conducting major capital campaigns at the time, and parishioners said Rodis was a persuasive fundraiser. Authorities later found out that Rodis was married two years before coming to the U.S. from the Philippines, his native country. He was living a double life with his wife and children in Spotsylvania County while pastor of the two churches. Rodis apparently wired the stolen money to the Philippines, where his family purchased property, according to evidence in his federal case. Rodis, who is in federal custody, has been barred from priestly duties and has had his pension cut off. Proceedings to formally defrock him have begun. At sentencing in February, U.S. District Judge Richard L. Williams ordered Rodis to repay $591,484. Rodis is scheduled for a June 16 court appearance in Louisa, Garrett said.
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