Troy Priest Sues City for Access to Frozen Assets

By Timothy Rath
The Patch
May 25, 2013

http://troy.patch.com/articles/troy-priest-sues-city-for-access-to-frozen-assets


A former priest at the St. Thomas More Catholic Church on North Adams Road in Troy, accused of mishandling hundreds of thousands of dollars in church money, is suing the city in an effort to have his assets unfrozen.

It was reported in The Oakland Press that attorneys for Edward Belczak filed the suit this week in an attempt to have his Merrill Lynch funds and bank safe deposit box unfrozen following an order from the Troy Police Department.

Belczak’s attorneys, Ernest Essad Jr. and William Hosler, argue that Belczak "is being wrongfully deprived of his lawful rights," The Press reports.

Belczak was removed from his position at the parish after an audit by the Archdiocese of Detroit revealed "questionable financial transactions and practices."

In total, according to a statement released by the archdiocese, Belczak may have misappropriated $429,000 over six years, funneling some of that money to pay his salary and some to a "ghost employee."

The archdiocese said that the 67-year-old Belczak remains a priest but cannot serve as the parish's pastor until the end of their investigation.