News Journal
February 24, 2011
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110202/NEWS01/110202026/0/SPORTS07/Priest-charged-embezzling-parish-funds?odyssey=nav|head
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| St. Patrick's Church in Wilmington is one of two parishes administered by Rev. Cornelius Breslin, who is accused of embezzling over $350,000. / Google Street View |
WILMINGTON — The pastor of two Roman Catholic churches has been indicted by a New Castle County grand jury for stealing over $350,000 and trying to cover his tracks by making false entries on the churches' records.
Rev. Cornelius J. Breslin, the pastor of both St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception and St. Patrick, turned himself in at the New Castle County Courthouse this morning.
The indictment comes after a five-month investigation by the Delaware Attorney General’s office after it received a report about suspicious financial activity by the priest from officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington.
The investigation showed Breslin wrote checks to himself for more than $358,000 between July 2009 and August 2010, from the accounts of both churches and deposited the money into an account at a different bank.
He was indicted on two felony counts of theft of over $100,000, one for each church, and two misdemeanor counts of falsifying business records.
As of today, the diocese website shows Breslin as pastor of both St. Mary and St. Patrick, the latter a church Vice President Joe Biden sometimes attended when he was still a U.S. Senator.
St. Patrick's has been the traditional end point for Wilmington's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.
“Stealing from church funds is an abuse of trust and a criminal offense which we take very seriously,” said Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden in a statement.
Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing.
The diocese of Wilmington issued a statement this afternoon from Bishop W. Francis Malooly, indicating that Breslin has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case and has also been “relieved of all faculties to function publicly as a priest.”
In the interim, Rev. Leonard Klein has been named the temporary administrator of St. Mary’s and St. Patrick’s parishes.
Bishop Malooly said he will also be at both churches this weekend, “to lend my support and assist in any way I can.”
Contact Sean O’Sullivan 324-2777 or sosullivan@delawareonline.com
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