A gambling-addicted pastor allegedly stole $117,000 from his church
A Greek Orthodox priest from Pennsylvania who suffered from a gambling addiction appeared in court this week on suspicion of stealing more than $117,000 from his church.
Priest George Athanasiou, 37, has been charged in connection with corruption from a bank account at All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. He faces 223 theft charges following his arrest on November 29.
According to authorities, from April 2022 until last month, Attanasiou illegally cashed numerous checks for church funds. He reportedly deposited the money into his account and then withdrew it through an ATM.
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During his court appearance Monday, Attanasio waived his right to a preliminary hearing. The judge ordered him to undergo an evaluation to assess his emotional well-being. The priest was released on bail.
Greek news agency National Herald reported that Attanasio was also suspended without pay after the theft plot was revealed.
"He has a gambling problem," Athanasius' attorney, Patrick Tomasi, told Pennsylvania television station WPXI this week."He noted this in his statement to police. This is not uncommon these days."
It's unclear where the priest was playing or what he was betting on.
Attanasio planned to repay the church.
"People are frustrated, but a lot of church people actually support Heavenly Father and I'm telling you right now, we're going to pay back all the money, every penny," Tomasi told WPXI.
"We're not sure at this point what that number is. We know it's high. We've set aside significant funds for reimbursement in this situation," Tomasi added.
Internal Request
Attanasio was arrested following an internal investigation, "which was initiated by members of community leadership when certain discrepancies arose in the management of the community." Community leaders then forwarded the information to local law enforcement, who took over the investigation, This resulted in the father's arrest. PhD. "St. George was arrested," area church officials said in a statement, the Herald reported.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office has taken over prosecution of the criminal case, Pennsylvania television station KDKA reported. This is due to a possible conflict of interest. Several attorneys in the Washington County District Attorney's Office are members of All Saints Church.
In a separate civil case, a Pennsylvania landlord sued Athanasiou over a $3,000 dispute.
Dimitrios Kyritsis, the lead pastor in charge of All Saints Church, who took over after Athanasius left, said the congregation was grateful for the support of area church officials.
Kyritsis had a 30-year career in law enforcement before serving the community. He even served as acting police chief. He also served as a disaster chaplain for International Orthodox Charities. He was involved in the mass shooting at the Harvest music festival in Las Vegas.
All Saints Greek Orthodox Church is a church in the Greek Orthodox metropolis of Pittsburgh.
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Source: www.casino.org
