Bronx Priest Stole More Than $1m from Two NYC Churches, Used the Cash on Wild S&m Romance with Beefy Boyfriend: Lawsuit
By Barbara Ross, Larry Mcshane
Father, forgive him. A scandalous lawsuit accuses a Bronx priest of looting more than $1 million from a pair of city parishes, then spending the cash on a long-running S&M romance with a muscle-bound boyfriend. The Rev. Peter Miqueli reportedly paid $1,000 per rough sex session with his hunky lover, who demanded the priest address him as “Master” — and drink his urine, the lawsuit said. The sex slave priest and his boy-toy shared a house in Brick, N.J., after Miqueli paid $264,000 cash six years ago, according to the fifty-shades-of-pray lawsuit. Miqueli, 53, was also accused of stealing money donated to fix a church pipe organ, siphoning funds from a parish thrift shop and getting high on drugs provided by a Bronx parishioner. “This lawsuit seeks to finally put an end to this truly sinful conduct,” the 36-page court filing said. In addition to his sexual shenanigans, Miqueli allegedly used his ill-gotten cash for vacations in Italy and Florida. Alleged boyfriend Keith Crist, named as a co-defendant, had nothing to say about the salacious allegations. “I don't have to talk to you!" he yelped before hanging up on a Daily News reporter. N.J. PRIEST ARRESTED, ALLEGEDLY POINTED MUSKET AT 8-YEAR-OLD Neighbors in Jersey say there’s a steady stream of male visitors at the Brick home, where a new BMW allegedly belonging to Crist sits in the driveway. Miqueli also installed a heavily-trafficked hot tub in the backyard, the neighbors said. Crist’s on-and-off girlfriend — who says former bodybuilder/escort Crist injured his knees in a bathtub sex romp with the priest — alerted church officials earlier this year to the couple’s unholy rolls in the hay.
The suit was filed by parishioners from St. Francis de Chantal in Throgs Neck, where Miqueli somehow remains the pastor, and his old church, St. Francis Cabrini on Roosevelt Island. “These charges of theft and misconduct have been made for at least 10 years,” said lawyer Michael Dowd, who represents the two parishes. ADVOCATES SLAM $21M MILWAUKEE CLERGY ABUSE SETTLEMENT “It is unbelievable that the diocese can't come to a conclusion about the misconduct of Miqueli when there is money missing that may be a million dollars from each (parish).” Miqueli did not return a phone call seeking comment, instead alerting the Archdiocese of New York to speak on his behalf. Timothy Cardinal Dolan and the Archdiocese are also named as defendants in the Manhattan court papers.
The lawsuit charges the church hierarchy, in an echo of the pedophilia scandal, with covering up for the pervert priest. “We can't understand it,” said Bronx parishioner Jack Lynch. “It seems they are going out of their way to protect him and for years. We suspect a scandal behind the scandal.” According to the complaint, Miqueli emptied the parish coffers by breaking the Archdiocese's rules governing donations and gifts. Money collected at Mass is supposed to go into a locked bag, stored in a safe, counted and logged by more than one trusted parishioner — and only then deposited in the church bank account. Miqueli instead stuffed all donations into unlocked bags that he counted personally in his bedroom — sometimes leaving foot-high stacks of cash laying around, according to the complaint. The lawsuit says he provided no accounting of the money and routinely deposited the cash into his own personal account at an HSBC in Hauppauge. “First and foremost, we want his removal as pastor — here or anyplace in the Archdiocese,” said attorney Dowd. “He is like a cancer and the best thing to do with cancer is to cut it out.” Court papers say Miqueli also brought Crist into parish affairs, having him run a thrift shop where they are suspected of swiping money.
When Miqueli left Roosevelt Island in October 2012, he allegedly laid claim to the parish Jeep and the pastor’s apartment by putting both in his own name. At de Chantal, Miqueli briefly tried to have Crist serve as the parish's new business manager, according to the complaint — only to have the Archdiocese give the boyfriend the boot after a complaint. Crist’s former girlfriend Tatyana Gudin said she saved copies of scores of text and email messages between the accused lovers. Earlier this year, she says she sent Dolan and other Archdiocesan officials numerous emails providing details of what she knew about Crist and Miqueli. The lawsuit says a Bronx doctor/church trustee provided the pair with illegal drugs to get high. Miqueli also reportedly gave $60,000 to the doctor for the down payment on a house. Parishioners calling for Miqueli’s removal have created a website, a Facebook page and have circulated flyers outside of masses alerting other churchgoers to their concerns. “I have stopped going,” one former churchgoer said. “No one likes him, and it really has torn apart the parish. People have had confrontations with him over the collections and the money. It’s sad that one person can destroy what was a great community with their greed and their actions.” The priest was also accused of subsidizing Crist’s Park Ave. apartment by about $1,000 a month since 2013. Dolan's spokesman Joseph Zwilling said the Archdiocese has "taken these allegations seriously" — but has yet to substantiate the charges of financial or sexual impropriety. Earlier this year, Fordham University Dean John Feerick led a panel that investigated the financial charges, Swilling said. As a result, the Cardinal ordered Miqueli to make changes in how the parish is governed. He told Miqueli to issue annual financial statements, appoint two new trustees and publish collections in the church bulletin. "We are continuing to look into it," Zwilling said, noting the Archdiocese is now conducting a forensic audit of de Chantal's accounts. Zwilling offered no suggestion as to how Miqueli — on his modest pastor's salary of $2,545 a month — could rack up a brokerage account and savings of almost $900,000, as alleged in the suit.
Zwilling said some priests have outside jobs or they inherit money. Dowd said he spoke with Miqueli's siblings, who said any inheritance from his mother was less than $100,000. The Bronx parishioners want Miqueli removed permanently as pastor of St. Francis de Chantal. Both parishes want a financial accounting from the Archdiocese of their donation and church spending. Contact: bross@nydailynews.com
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