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  Fla. Priest Surrenders to Police

The Sentinel
October 24, 2006

http://www.cumberlink.com/articles/2006/10/24/ap/regional/us/d8kun0d01.txt

Delray Beach, Fla. - The second of two Florida priests charged with spending church money on gambling trips, rare coins and a girlfriend has surrendered to authorities, his attorney said Monday.

The Rev. Francis B. Guinan, 63, returned to the United States on Sunday from a trip to Australia and was taken into custody in Miami, said his attorney, David Roth. He was to be released late Monday on $50,000 bond, Roth said.

Last month, authorities issued arrest warrants for the Rev. John A. Skehan, longtime pastor at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, and Guinan, his successor. Police say the two misused $400,000 in church funds. However, an audit conducted by the Diocese of Palm Beach alleges the pair misappropriated $8.7 million.

A police report said Guinan had an intimate relationship with a former bookkeeper at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, where he previously worked. Denis Hamel, the chief financial officer for the Diocese of Palm Beach, told police Guinan had paid the woman's American Express bills and her child's school tuition with church funds that were not recorded on the church books.

The conditions of Guinan's release include that he surrender his passport and have no contact with the Palm Beach Diocese or any of its employees.

Skehan, 79, was arrested at Palm Beach International Airport on Sept. 27 after returning from a trip to Ireland. He was released from the Palm Beach County jail on $400,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty last week to grand theft charges.

 
 

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