A Catholic priest in Pottstown, Pennsylvania is facing criminal charges after police accused him of stealing over $40,000 of church money and spending the funds on mobile app games like Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, slot machine apps, and more.
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According to a criminal affidavit written by a Pennsylvania State Police detective, the church leader has been identified as Father Lawrence Kozak, a former priest at St. Thomas More Parish. According to CBS News, the Catholic priest was arrested on April 25 after police learned that he had made 2,000 “gaming” transactions under his Apple ID.
Authorities discovered that all of the purchases were made between September 2019 and June 2022 and totaled $214,000. Of that sum, just under $44,000 in transactions were charged to a credit card belonging to the church he led. After being removed from the church, was also accused of sending a letter and a check for $8,000 to Father Thomas Kletzel, the new priest at St. Thomas More Parish.
Father Kozak has since been charged with theft by unlawful taking, failing to make required disposition of funds, and accessing a device to which he was unauthorized. Since his arrest for allegedly stealing, the Catholic priest has posted bail and is awaiting further hearings.
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Reportedly, several purchases made by the Catholic priest using the church’s money were from popular mobile apps like Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, Mario Kart, and multiple slot machine games — named in the complaint as Cash Frenzy, Willy Wonka Vegas Casino Slots and Wizard of Oz Slot Machine Game.
It’s reported that the slot machine apps do not award any real-world money for wins in the game, but they do allow you to spend real-world money to play. When investigators questioned the Catholic priest about his alleged gambling habit, he reportedly told them that the purchases he made did not qualify as gambling, but instead “powering up.”
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When detectives reviewed the Catholic priest’s Amazon account, they also found that he again allegedly used the church’s money to purchase gifts for his goddaughter, including an Amazon Fire tablet and a chemistry set. Investigators said they discovered the church’s credit card linked to the purchases.
Additionally, investigators said that the Catholic priest reportedly paid over $10,000 toward the church’s credit card balance from an account not associated with the parish. It’s also reported that the priest has been confronted about his costly spending under the church’s accounts in the past, and had been warned by the church’s business manager, who told him, “I don’t want to see your name in the newspaper.”
At the time, the business manager reminded the priest about the case of Monsignor Joseph McLoone, who resigned from St. Joseph’s Church in Downingtown in 2018. Before his resignation, McLoone was accused and later pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars in church money as supplemental income. In addition to using the church’s funds to pad his salary, he also funded a beach house at the Jersey Shore and sent money to other men.
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