St. Elizabeth Priest Mcauliffe Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison
By Doug McMurdo
A former high-ranking Las Vegas priest was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay full restitution Friday after admitting he stole $650,000 from a Las Vegas Catholic church to support his compulsive gambling. Monsignor Kevin McAuliffe told U.S. District Judge James Mahan he was sorry. More than 90 parishioners from McAuliffe's church were inside the courtroom, and many more were turned away. The federal government sought a prison term of 33 months for McAuliffe, but the priest objected, citing his gambling addiction and prior good works as reasons for a shorter stint behind bars -- or probation. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Christina Brown told Mahan the priest had complete control of the church's financial resources and for eight years he gambled at local casinos in amounts in excess of his employment income. He was able to conceal the thefts through his position of trust, she said in a written summary. Brown also noted investigators examined gaming records, McAuliffe's financial records and financial documents related to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church and the Las Vegas Diocese. They noted gaming records showed McAuliffe gambled away amounts far in excess of his $70,000 annual salary. The examinations revealed irregularities and omissions in financial reports compiled by McAuliffe and used by the diocese to prepare financial reports for the Archdiocese in San Francisco. Brown, in her written argument justifying a prison term, noted McAuliffe lied about stealing money from the church. He ultimately admitted to stealing from the church's votive candle, mission and novena funds, as well as the gift shop for period of approximately 10 years. He also admitted he was reimbursed for about $65,000 in charges to his personal credit card for personal expenses. Brown said McAuliffe's lack of candor at the outset of the investigation and the fact he didn't seek help for his gambling addiction until after he was caught merited a prison term. But defense attorney Margaret Stanish, in seeking leniency for the priest, said McAuliffe has myriad supporters from St. Elizabeth's and elsewhere in the Catholic community. Many of them submitted letters to the court. In addition to the support and forgiveness of many of his former parishioners, Stanish pointed out the priest has a long history of community service dating back to his childhood. She said he was instrumental in growing the Summerlin church to more than 8,800 families, oversaw a massive renovation of the church and the construction of a K-8 school on church grounds. Stanish also told Mahan that two independent doctors have diagnosed McAuliffe as a compulsive gambler. She said his mental illness justified a term of probation of a substantially reduced term in prison. She also noted the Nevada Legislature in recent year has sought to rehabilitate through treatment rather than incarceration "those in our community who cannot control their gambling." Contact Doug McMurdo at dmcmurdo@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.
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