1-4 yrs. for Father Flim-Flam

New York Daily News ^ | September 23, 2006 | BY BARBARA ROSS and JOSE MARTINEZ

[Palladin]

1-4 yrs. for Father Flim-Flam

Pays back 100G in huge ripoff

BY BARBARA ROSS and JOSE MARTINEZ DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Msgr. John Woolsey heads for Manhattan Supreme Court yesterday before he was sentenced to one to four years in prison for stealing from East Side parish.

The Manhattan monsignor known as "Father Flim-Flam" was contrite for his sins yesterday - but he'll still have to serve his penance in prison. Msgr. John Woolsey was led off in handcuffs to start his 1-to-4-year prison term, prompting several of his supporters to weep in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The 69-year-old priest, who pleaded guilty to raiding the St. John the Martyr's coffers of more than $50,000 so he could splurge on Rolex watches and European golfing trips, also must finish paying back $200,000 to his former parish.

"I am just truly, truly sorry that I used money for my own purpose that I had no right to do," Woolsey said before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bruce Allen.

Woolsey arrived in Allen's courtroom with a check for $100,000, a few friends from the priesthood and dozens of supporters, several of whom had written to the judge pleading for mercy for him.

[Palladin]

This guy stole a million dollars from his parishioners, and only got 1-4 years in prison.

What a sweet deal!

[Palladin]

Prosecutors had pushed to have Woolsey serve a 2-to-6-year sentence and to pay back $800,000, charging that he transferred nearly $837,000 in church funds to his own checking account so he could pay his credit card bill.

An additional $270,000 that had been in the church's possession also could not be accounted for, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Amatruda said.

"It's time to end the jockeying . . . and send this man to prison," Amatruda said.

I wonder what would happen to the ordinary Joe who stole a million bucks?

[livius]

He was a high-level person and he should have gotten a lot longer than that, IMHO.

[Palladin]

I can't even fathom having a credit card bill of $837,000.

He must have been a gambler, along with his other vices.

I think ALL Catholic parishes are overdue for some outside auditing. These stories are getting all too common.

[livius]

Actually, I think most of them have outside audits now. I may be wrong, but I think it was an outside audit that caught Woolsey, who was already in trouble because of the complaints about his fiddling with the estates of elderly widows. What a prince.

[Palladin]

A bump for Father Flim-Flam.

[RobbyS]

He's an old man. The sad thing is that he probably lost his faith many years ago and only hung around to make a living at it. Not a shepard but a hireling.

[Coleus]

NYC Catholic Priest Accused of Swindling Elderly Parishioner, bought home at Jersey Shore

 

'Sins' of the Msgr. on trial, Fr. Time, Now Rev. Rolex may Have a lot more of it on his Hands - DA

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Priest who stole $2 Million trades parish for prison Judge rejects leniency orders a 5-year term, Rumson, NJ

 

Church breaks silence on NJ, priest, former Air Force Chaplain, accused of theft of $500,000, Randolph, NJ

[SuziQ]

I think ALL Catholic parishes are overdue for some outside auditing. These stories are getting all too common.

In the last 25 years, I haven't lived in a Parish that was not directly tied to the Diocese financially and have a Finance Committee made up of laypeople from the Parish. This means that the priest doesn't have his own little fiefdom from which to skim money