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  'Robin Hood' Priest Admits Guilt to Theft in Church Raffle Scam

By Mike Frassinelli
Star-Ledger
April 12, 2008

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1207974932141930.xml&coll=1

He didn't drive fancy cars or take lavish trips.

The Rev. Robert J. "Father Bob" Ascolese wore the same faded brown blazer to most of his court proceedings to face charges that he misappropriated nearly $1 million through church raffles with fake "winners."

He traveled to the courthouse in a Toyota that has logged 200,000 miles.

And when Ascolese pleaded guilty to three counts of theft yesterday, the defense and even the prosecution painted a portrait of the Warren County priest as a sort of Catholic Robin Hood who used funds from $100-a-ticket raffles to benefit his financially strapped church and elementary school in Washington Borough.

Defense lawyer Melvin M. Wright Jr. of New York City described the case as an "anomaly."

He noted that while there have been examples of priests personally enriching themselves, in Ascolese's case, "The monies went for charitable purposes and were never pocketed by my client."

"There was no personal gain," added Ascolese's older brother, Gene. "He did everything for that school. That school was his baby."

St. Joseph's Church member Marianne Van Deursen wasn't so charitable. "A scam is a scam, no matter how you look at it," she said.

The priest will trade in a collar for handcuffs after pleading guilty in Belvidere to theft. He faces up to three years in prison, though it is likely he will be approved for a supervisory parole program that could keep him behind bars for only months.

Ascolese, 46, former pastor of St. Joseph's, maintained he didn't know he was doing anything wrong when his charitable foundation bought tickets using fake names to ensure a sellout of the $100-a-ticket Powerball raffle. Proceeds were to benefit his church and school.

The raffles in question were from 2001 to 2005. The church was to raise $400,000 annually through the 50-50 raffles, with $200,000 going back to winners, including a $100,000 grand prize winner.

But big winners -- some with religious-sounding names such as Ezekiel Fleming and Arlene Bishop -- ended up being people whose tickets were bought by Ascolese or his charitable foundations in the names of family, friends and people in his recovery-assistance program classes.

"We thought it was awfully strange that nobody from Washington ever won the big prize," Van Deursen said.

The winners never knew they won, and Ascolese put the winnings back into his church and school, prosecutors said.

"I suppose the theory was, no harm, no foul," Warren County Assistant Prosecutor Craig Barto said. "Nevertheless, winners did not get the money."

"Is it true that you did engage in fraudulent practices at that time?" Superior Court Judge John Pursel asked Ascolese yesterday.

"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.

Van Deursen, mayor of Washington Borough and a former Ascolese supporter, noted, "An admission of guilt tells a story."

"Perhaps now the parishioners of St. Joseph's can have closure and we can move on in peace with our faith," she said. "There was a lot of unrest in the parish and there was a lot of dissension among the parishioners -- those who believe Father Bob did no wrong and those who believe Father Bob was guilty -- and no one had any answers."

Wright said he didn't think the guilty plea would affect Ascolese's status as a priest.

When a television reporter in the course of a question cited the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," Wright quickly retorted: "I will quote from the New Testament. Let those who are without sin cast the first stone."

Mike Frassinelli may be reached at mfrassinelli@starledger.com or (908) 475-1218.

 
 

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