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  Woman Gets Jail for Theft
Ex-Administrative Aide to Pay St. Dunstan Church $111,693 in Restitution

By Steve Pardo
Detroit News
June 4, 2008

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080604/METRO01/806040329/1409/METRO

GARDEN CITY — A Garden City woman was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days in jail, five years' probation and ordered to pay $111,693 in restitution under a plea agreement for embezzling from her church.

Debra Ann Kilyanek, 54, was charged in December after an audit by the Archdiocese of Detroit showed an $111,693 shortfall at St. Dunstan Roman Catholic Church in Garden City. Kilyanek worked at the parish for 10 years as an administrative assistant before being fired. An audit showed she used church accounts to pay auto loans, credit cards and college loans, according to prosecutors.

She pleaded guilty in March to the embezzlement charges.

The charges scandalized the church. During the investigation, prosecutors found the pastor of the church, the Rev. Donald Demmer, made as many as 200 trips out of the state or the county to casinos and resorts, including Club Orient — a clothing-optional resort in the Caribbean.

Subscription charges to companies providing pornographic Internet services were also found in his bank account records, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.

"The conduct of Father Demmer, while disturbing, is not criminal," Worthy said, adding that Demmer should have kept a closer eye on Kilyanek.

Demmer resigned as the pastor of St. Dunstan in June 2007 after more than 20 years. He still has supporters. A Web site, "Catholics for Justice," continues to offer support and criticized the sentence given to Kilyanek as too light. She faced up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Kilyanek's attorney, Richard Korn, didn't return messages Tuesday.

"We're grateful the St. Dunstan community can now bring a sense of closure to this chapter in their history. We're hope-filled for those advancing the healing and rebuilding efforts at the parish," Ned McGrath, spokesman for the Detroit Archdiocese, said in a statement.

You can reach Steve Pardo at (734) 562-2191 or spardo@detnews.com.

 
 

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