Catholic priest accused in theft of $700K from Troy church arraigned on charges, by Robert Snell, Detroit News (April 28, 2014)

Catholic priest accused in theft of $700K from Troy church arraigned on charges

Detroit — An indicted Catholic priest wore his clerical collar to court and clutched what appeared to be a photo of the Pope on Monday while being arraigned on charges he helped steal $700,000 from St. Thomas More Church in Troy.

The Rev. Edward Belczak, 69, of Troy, was freed on $10,000 unsecured bond after U.S. Magistrate Judge Mona Majzoub entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Belczak was arraigned six days after federal prosecutors unsealed a five-count indictment that charged the priest and parish administrator Janice Verschuren, 67, of Bloomfield Hills, with stealing money from the church and Archdiocese of Detroit between 2004 and 2012.

The stolen money allegedly included most of a $350,000 gift to the church from the family of a dead parishioner and cash donated by churchgoers during special Mother’s Day and Father’s Day collections, prosecutors said. The priest spent some of the money on a condominium in Palm Beach, Fla., according to the indictment.

“They have to prove their case, and it won’t be an easy task,” Belczak’s defense attorney, Jerome Sabbota, told The News.

Belczak must surrender his passport by Tuesday and submit to a drug test and is barred from opening any new lines of credit. He said “yes, ma’am” and “yes, your honor” to routine questions from the judge — with one exception.

The magistrate asked the priest if he had an enhanced driver’s license that would permit travel to Canada.

“I don’t know what enhanced means,” Belczak said.

According to prosecutors, Belczak and Verschuren tried to hide the alleged crime by creating false documents and submitting them to the Archdiocese. The documents under-reported the amount of the parish’s operating receipts.

They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of charges that include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

An archdiocese audit highlighted several concerns including $429,000 in “questionable financial transactions and practices.” Among them was $108,000 in unauthorized compensation Belczak directed to himself and compensating a “ghost employee” $240,000.

Belczak, the church’s pastor for more than 30 years, was replaced by the archdiocese during an investigation of alleged misuse of church donations — approximately equal to the condominium purchase price — and moved out of his church-provided lodgings. About the same time, Verschuren, resigned from her job.

Verschuren was arraigned minutes after the priest and also freed on $10,000 unsecured bond.

She balked at one bond condition: surrendering her passport.

Verschuren works as a travel agent and wanted to keep the passport because she had already paid for a trip to Paris next month.

The magistrate huddled with a court staffer while considering the request.

“You will not be taking that trip,” Majzoub said.

Outside the courtroom, Verschuren’s defense lawyer Patricia Maceroni said she might appeal the judge’s decision.

She also reflected on the criminal case against her client.

“I think this investigation is unfortunate and at the end, my client will be fully exonerated,” Maceroni said. “She has been linked to activities in which she had no part. Why? I can’t tell you.”