Parishioners Ask Leniency for Embezzling Rev. Belczak
By Patricia Montemurri
The Rev. Edward Belczak drank "heavily" to cope with running a large Catholic parish and was "a compulsive gambler" in stocks when he embezzled $573,000 from Troy St. Thomas More church, his attorney wrote in asking for probation or home detention when the priest is sentenced Tuesday. Some 50 parishioners, prominent business owners, friends and fellow priests wrote letters on Belczak's behalf, asking U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow for leniency. They describe the 70-year-old priest as a compassionate, inspiring force. His humiliation — and how the Archdiocese of Detroit has banned him from performing public church services — is punishment enough, some suggest. Belczak pleaded guilty Sept. 1 to one count of mail fraud in connection with the embezzlement and has paid restitution. The priest deserves a 37-month prison sentence rather than the "gentle wrist-slap of probation that defendant Belczak requests," government prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. While Belczak's ministry "should not be undervalued," prosecutors noted, "these good works were not exceptions — they were his job." "The defendant should not be permitted to seek shelter behind the very congregation and employer he defrauded," prosecutors wrote. "Aided by his intellect, education and unique ability to gain the trust of others due to his well-known charisma, the defendant was able to take advantage of the authority and control he was granted over the church's finances." Belczak admitted stealing $109,571 from a parish bank account in 2005 to buy a posh Florida condo owned by ex-parish manager Janice Verschuren, despite having flush personal stock market accounts. The priest opened a secret bank account to steal about $420,000 bequeathed to the parish by a deceased parishioner. He embezzled $43,000 more in donations, the government said. But Belczak's attorney said the priest's crimes were committed during a time of work-related duress, although although Belczak's attorney, Jerome Sabbota, provided no specifics. "The pressures of that church, which became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Detroit metro area, caused him both to drink, as well as to become a compulsive gambler in relation to the stock market," wrote Sabbota. "That never brought him peace." Even though the Detroit Archdiocese removed Belczak as St. Thomas More pastor in January 2013, and then banned him from publicly working as a priest when he was charged with federal crimes in 2014, parishioners still seek Belczak out privately, wrote Sabotta. Yet a letter from Macomb County pastor Rev. David Buersmeyer describes how Belczak's crime taints all Catholic priests, still rebuilding trust because of the scandal of priests who sexually abused minors. Buersmeyer, the pastor of SS. John and Paul parish in Washington Township, describes how he often cited Belczak as a joyful, compassionate "deeply gifted" priest. While expressing hope that Belczak be allowed to continue in his ministry, Buersmeyer wrote "another wound has been opened up by your high-profile case." "People begin to question whether 'their' good priest — for you were looked upon with love and respect as one of those 'good priests' by so many — could possibly be doing something similar," wrote Buersmeyer. Supporters described time after time when Belczak rushed to families facing health crises,and how his words comforted them in hospitals, in funeral homes and in church. Jeffrey V. Cauley, an auto dealer, wrote that Belczak officiated at his wedding in 1985 and comforted him when his wife died and his parents passed away. "Fr. Belczak has undoubtedly touched tens of thousands of lives, if not more, for the better," wrote Cauley. "For whatever wrong he may have done, the good he has done in … making us all better human beings outweighs it by a thousand times." Wrote Kathleen Marshall, a parishioner: "If I had a choice, a voice, or a vote, I would have Fr. Ed back at St. Thomas More as our pastor." Belczak's brother is also a Catholic priest. As pastor of St. Kenneth Parish in Plymouth, the Rev. Thomas Belczak also came under scrutiny recently. The Detroit Archdiocese suspended Thomas Belczak as parish pastor from October 2014 to investigate parish finances. He was reinstated in June following an investigation by law enforcement. "I feel that my brother has faced his darkest moment, and yet he has become strong and brave," wrote Thomas Belczak. "Like so many others, I have been deeply saddened and hurt by the public acknowledgment of his failures," he wrote, and added, "I, too, have been humiliated and ... shamed because of his behavior." Thomas Belczak asked Tarnow to show his brother mercy and said he would pray that the judge "will be open to the Holy Spirit." In a related case, former St. Thomas More parish manager Janice Verschuren pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud in October for obtaining parish-financed health insurance, valued at $26,000, for her ex-husband, even though he was not entitled to it. Belczak "did not object to maintaining insurance" for Verschuren's husband, Sabbota wrote, because the Catholic Church opposes divorce and "in the eyes of the church and in his eyes, they were not divorced." Verschuren's sentencing has been rescheduled to Jan. 21. Contact Patricia Montemurri: 313-223-4538, pmontemurri@freepress.com or on Twitter @pmontemurri
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