By Rebecca Baker
The Journal News
October 20, 2009
http://www.lohud.com/article/20091020/NEWS02/910200396/-1/newsfront/White%20Plains%20ex-pastor%20pleads%20guilty%20to%20stealing%20+432G
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| Patrick Dunne |
WHITE PLAINS - Had the Rev. Patrick Dunne been convicted after trial for stealing $432,000 from his White Plains church, he could have been sent to state prison for 15 years.
Instead, he was convicted through a plea bargain and won't serve any more than six months in the county jail.
Dunne, the 63-year-old former pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, pleaded guilty today to the top count against him, second-degree grand larceny, a felony, in Westchester County Court in exchange for "shock" probation, in which he will serve five years' probation with some time in jail.
He will learn how much time he will serve on Jan. 12.
Dunne, who led the Mamaroneck Avenue church since 1991, stole the money over a six-year period - including donations intended for Hurricane Katrina victims - and used it for personal expenses and recreation, including gambling.
Westchester Judge Jeffrey A. Cohen said he accepted the plea bargain only because the victims -[0x0f]meaning the church - was "made whole." As part of the plea deal, Dunne must pay restitution to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York up to $432,000.
Dunne's attorney, Richard Ferrante, would not say how his client planned to repay the archdiocese. He said Dunne has completed an inpatient treatment program for his gambling addiction and is now undergoing outpatient treatment.
The investigation into the missing money at Our Lady of Sorrows began in the fall of 2008, when church staff members noticed that undocumented checks were being cashed on church accounts.
The District Attorney's Office was notified in February and determined the thefts started in 2002. During that time, the church got a new rectory and parish center hall as part of an expansion for which parishioners contributed nearly $3 million.
The money that was stolen had been donated by parishioners to different fundraising efforts by the church, such as the building fund, a collection for Katrina victims and the weekly offering used for general church expenses. It was also taken from an account that had been set up to pay clergy members who came to the church to celebrate Mass, authorities say.
The case went to a grand jury in May after months of negotiations failed to produce a plea bargain. Prosecutors had wanted Dunne to serve state prison time, but agreed to a jail sentence instead.
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said the archdiocese’s insurance company covered the church’s loss, and he expressed gratitude over the “sensitive” way that the Westchester district attorney and the court handled the case.
“Today’s guilty plea by Father Patrick Dunne was a necessary step in a sad and painful period for the Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Archdiocese ofNew York, and Father Dunne as well,” he wrote in an e-mail. “We pray that it also marks a new beginning for all who may have been hurt by this matter.”
Contact: rebaker@lohud.com
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