By Kathianne Boniello
New York Post
December 26, 2010
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/holy_rolled_pa2jAEFjzts3UGWkUWCdaJ
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| JOHN KAMAS |
Sounds like this priest needs to go to confession -- or a good accountant.
The Rev. John Kamas, 62, a Catholic cleric involved in half a dozen nonprofits, has been accused of lining his pockets while running one of them, a Jewish foundation, into the ground.
The Upper East Side priest treated the Herman Lissner Foundation as his personal fiefdom, sliding into the presidency of the board of trustees in 2008, raking in $30,000 annually for part-time duties, running up expenses and directing the group's grant money to his pet charities, a lawsuit charges.
While the other trustees want to fulfill wishes of the group's late founder and shut down the foundation, Kamas has allegedly fought to continue to live high on the hog, board members allege in court papers.
The priest, who operates out of St. Francis de Sales Church, also cost the group at least $200,000 in interest by failing to properly invest its $1 million in funds, board members allege.
The foundation gave out more than $500,000 in grants last year, $28,000 of which went to four groups Kamas works with, including $3,500 for the Life Enhancement Foundation, which he runs, $5,000 for the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute, and $10,000 each for the Licia-Albanese Puccini and Giulio Gari foundations, which aid singers.
Documents filed with the IRS for 2009 show the Herman Lissner Foundation had more than $107,000 in administrative and operating expenses and about $10 million in assets.
Trustees say that he was booted in October.
The priest denied the allegations.
"Most of that stuff is really totally ungrounded," he said.
Contact: kboniello@nypost.com
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