Former Staten Island priest once accused of “sex-master” antics now suspended by Catholic Church

By Kyle Lawson And Maura Grunlund
Staten Island Advance
March 30, 2019

https://bit.ly/2V7SwfB

Advance records show a 2000 photo of former priest Peter Miqueli, who the Church now has officially suspended.

A former Staten Island priest who resigned three years ago amid accusations of paying a “sex-master” with church funds has now officially been suspended and asked to step away permanently.

According to the March 28 print edition of Catholic New York, Rev. Peter Miqueli is prohibited from mass and administering church sacraments after he allegedly violated a 2016 order mandating he “avoid any and all persons or situations that could endanger (his) obligation to perpetual continence or any and all conduct that might cause scandal to the faithful or that would receive publicity in the media...”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan also recommended Miqueli seek voluntary dismissal from the clerical state, according to the article, which did not provide details as to how Miqueli violated the order.

The article was placed on page 16 of the newspaper, and could not be found online. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese did not immediately respond Saturday to a request for comment.

Miqueli resigned at the end of 2015, following a lawsuit that accused him of stealing at least $1 million from parishioners at two churches, including his current parish, St. Frances de Chantal in Throggs Neck, N.Y.

Several worshippers claimed Miqueli, 55, used their money to fuel BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) sex romps with his “sex master,” Keith Crist, according to the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Miqueli previously served at St. Sylvester’s R.C. Church, Concord; Holy Family R.C. Church, Willowbrook; St. Clare’s R.C. Church in Great Kills, and St. Rita’s R.C. Church, Meiers Corners.

An investigation by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office found allegations of criminal conduct by Miqueli, including misappropriation or theft of millions of dollars from the parish over several years, to be unsubstantiated. Authorities did, however, determine St. Frances de Chantal Church improperly dispersed $22,000 in reimbursements to Miqueli from parish accounts, and ordered the former priest return the funds.

The Church at the time said they investigated claims of paying a prostitute, but was not able to substantiate the claims.

Months after Miqueli resigned from the church, he was forced to testify in the misdemeanor assault trial of Tatyana Gudin, the girlfriend of Crist who who was accused of pushing Miqueli’s alleged sex-master through a window in Manhattan, according to the New York Post.