By Mike Frassinelli
The Star-Ledger
April 11, 2008
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/rafflerobbing_father_bob_plead.html
The Rev. Robert J. "Father Bob" Ascolese will trade in his collar for handcuffs after pleading guilty today for his role in staging church raffles with fake grand-prize "winners."
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| The Rev. Robert J. Ascolese in court in February. Photo by Tyler Barrick |
The Warren County priest pleaded guilty in Belvidere to three counts of theft, maintaining he didn't know he was doing anything wrong when his charitable foundations bought tickets in the names of alter egos to ensure a sellout of the $100-a-ticket lottery that benefited his financially struggling church and elementary school in Washington Borough.
The raffles in question were from 2001 to 2005. The church was to raise $200,000 annually for the 50-50 raffles, with another $200,000 going back to winners, including a $100,000 grand prize winner. Through the years, the winners included people named "Ezekiel Fleming" and "Arlene Bishop" -- people who didn't really exist.
The big winners ended up being people whose tickets were bought by Ascolese's charitable foundation. The people never knew they won, and Ascolese put the winnings back into his church and school, prosecutors said.
"Is it true that you did engage in fraudulent practices at that time?" Judge John Pursel asked Ascolese.
"The way the prosecutor described it, yes," the priest replied.
"You now know it's a crime?"
"Yes."
A tentative sentencing date has been scheduled for July 3.
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