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	Priest Is Charged with Stealing from Haverhill Church By Emma Stickgold Boston Globe November 8, 2010 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/11/08/former_priest_charged_with_stealing_from_haverhill_church/ The former pastor of a Haverhill parish was arraigned last week on charges of stealing more than $80,000 in church funds, about $25,000 of which authorities say was used to feed his addiction to pornography. The Rev. Keith LeBlanc resigned from St. John the Baptist Parish in June. He faces charges of stealing $83,147 from the Haverhill parish while pastor there. According to a police report obtained by the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, LeBlanc had a credit card with a balance of $25,000 that was used for online pornography. The pastor told an attorney directing the investigation that he was in need of help to combat an addiction, the newspaper reported. A Haverhill police dispatcher said last night that the department would not give information about the case. Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett could not be reached last night. Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, said in an e-mailed statement: "Because this is an ongoing legal proceeding, it would be inappropriate for me to comment. That said, continue to pray for Fr. LeBlanc, for the parish of St. John the Baptist, and for all those impacted by these events." Deacon Thomas Anthony of St. John the Baptist declined to comment when reached by phone last night. In June, Anthony told the Globe that LeBlanc was "very easy-going, very laid-back," and that he encouraged parishioners to become more involved. He also pointed to LeBlanc's efforts to renovate the church basement into a parish hall in 2006. After alleged improprieties came to light at the church earlier this year, investigators combed through Comcast bills and other church financial records, finding, among other things, that LeBlanc had allegedly forged a signature on an audit slip. More than $4,000 worth of adult movies had been charged to the church during his tenure, the Eagle-Tribune reported. The archdiocese's probe included records from 2004 through June of this year, the paper reported. A church audit found LeBlanc allegedly took $50,689 from collection plate donations to pay for rent and car and credit card payments. According to the Eagle-Tribune, after resigning, LeBlanc was sent to St. John Vianney Center in Pennsylvania, a recovery center for members of the clergy. He is due back in court Dec. 3 for a pretrial conference. Contact: estickgold@globe.com
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