Retired priest pleads guilty to stealing $300K from Missouri church
A retired Catholic priest has plead guilty to stealing $300,000 from a church in Missouri, with the former clergyman facing up to 10 years in federal prison for his criminal actions.
The Rev. Ignazio C. Medina, 72, pleaded guilty on Tuesday before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to charges related to stealing money from St. Stanislaus Catholic Church of Wardsville.
Medina, who had served as pastor of St. Stanislaus from 2013 to 2021, took $100,000 from the church’s bank account to give to his sister and then another $200,000 for himself, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, of the Western District of Missouri.
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“Medina, when confronted, claimed the bank account was funded by donations that were not intended for the parish itself, but rather were intended for his own discretionary use. Donors who had contributed checks deposited into the bank account contradicted Medina’s statement,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Several individuals told investigators the checks they wrote to St. Stanislaus were intended for parish purposes, not for Medina’s own discretionary use, and that they never had any conversations with Medina authorizing a different use of the funds. One donor told investigators he intended his donation to be used in the school in memory of a deceased friend.”
Medina had also claimed that the stolen money was a refund to donors, with his sister supposedly being a donor who wanted a refund. According to authorities, his sister said Medina had told her that the money was meant to be used to care for their ailing mother.
Medina faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, with the sentencing hearing to occur following a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
The Medina case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to authorities.
In response to the news of Medina pleading guilty, the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City released a statement explaining that the parish had discovered the missing funds by using “accounting protocols established by the diocese” and then “reported concerns to the diocese,” which then notified law enforcement.
“Fr. Medina remains permanently barred from holding any ecclesiastical office and from hearing confessions. He is also forbidden from celebrating or concelebrating Mass without permission from the Most Reverend W. Shawn McKnight, bishop of Jefferson City,” stated the diocese.
“Out of respect for the judicial process, neither the parish nor the diocese will offer additional comments at this time.”
