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	Prosecutors: Florida Priest Deceived Parish By Brian Skoloff Orlando Sentinel February 23, 2009 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-priest-church-delray-beach-embezzle-022309,0,2983720.story WEST PALM BEACH - A Florida priest charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his church took money from a hidden "slush fund," had records shredded and violated the trust of parishioners, a prosecutor told jurors at his trial Monday. The Rev. Francis Guinan has pleaded not guilty to grand theft. He is accused of stealing $488,000 from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach to fund a lavish lifestyle that included trips to the Bahamas and Las Vegas, jewelry and home furniture. Guinan "stole from the community he was appointed to protect," prosecutor Preston Mighdoll said during closing arguments. "He must be found guilty as charged." Defense attorney Richard Barlow told jurors that Guinan's actions may have been morally wrong, but he did nothing illegal. "The diocese, in their own rules . . . gave the priest the unlimited discretion, without defining it, without restricting it, as to how you spend" the church's money, Barlow said. "You might not agree, you might think it's horrible," Barlow said. "You might think it's wasteful, but the right to spend it is a right, and if it's a right, it's not unlawful." The jury began deliberations later Monday. Guinan, 66, testified last week that the church allows him to spend money as he sees fit. He told jurors he thought a priest could spend as much as $50,000 on any one item without reporting it to the diocese. Guinan said it was "a small compensation" for his service, but he acknowledged that, "When you see it all together in one package, it looks terrible. I will agree with that." Prosecutors said the discretion was not a license to commit grand theft. "This defendant subscribed to the philosophy . . . that priests disguise money from the diocese. It's an attitude that they are above the rules and above the law," Mighdoll said. Mighdoll said the money spent should have been related to church business, "not to the personal needs of the defendant." Prosecutors said Guinan used church money on seven trips to Las Vegas, three trips to the Bahamas, trips around Florida and to Ireland, luxury hotels, personal credit-card bills, jewelry and furniture for his home. Guinan said there were past accounting errors at the church before he arrived, but he didn't correct them because he wanted to avoid a confrontation with the previous pastor, who also was taking money. That clergyman pleaded guilty to grand theft last month. The Rev. John Skehan, 81, who had been at the church for 40 years, is set to be sentenced in March for taking $370,000. Guinan is accused of taking the money during the 19 months after he became pastor in September 2003. Church auditors think the amount stolen by the priests was in the millions.
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