PENNSYLVANIA
WHTM
Updated: Nov 21, 2012
By Myles Snyder
BONNEAUVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) –
The case against a parish priest charged with embezzling more than $384,000 from a central Pennsylvania church is bound for trial.
Father Caesar A. Belchez, 52, of New Freedom, waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday morning when he appeared before District Judge Daniel Bowman.
Belchez is accused of taking the money between 2006 and 2011 while he was pastor at Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Bonneauville, according to prosecutors. He allegedly embezzled nearly $312,000 in cash and made an additional $72,766 in unauthorized purchases with credit cards issued to the parish.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.