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	Gambling NY Priest Charged in Parish Theft Associated Press carried in Staten Island Advance May 23, 2003 http://www.silive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1211573646126990.xml&storylist=simetro WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — A parish priest with a gambling problem was arrested Friday and charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from church accounts, including a fund for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Rev. Patrick Dunne, 63, was arraigned on a grand larceny charge, Westchester District Attorney Janet DiFiore announced. If convicted, he could be sentenced to five to 15 years in prison. The New York Archdiocese announced in March that Dunne, who was pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows in White Plains, took a significant amount of church money because of a "very powerful" gambling addiction. DiFiore said he used the money for recreation and personal expenses, writing checks to himself and to "cash." Dunne's lawyer, Richard Ferrante, said Dunne "was not doing anything for personal gain." He said people should withhold judgment "until they hear or see all the evidence." Dunne left the parish right after Christmas and is undergoing treatment and counseling, the archdiocese said. The theft occurred between 2002 and 2007 and involved the church building fund and the regular Sunday collection as well as the Katrina relief fund, the district attorney said. The archdiocese's chancellor, Monsignor William Belford, said in March that new regulations had been imposed to safeguard parish funds.
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