CANADA
Ottawa Citizen
BY MEGHAN HURLEY, OTTAWA CITIZEN JANUARY 20, 2014
OTTAWA — Rev. Joseph Leclair, the former Blessed Sacrament church priest, pleaded guilty Monday morning to fraud and theft after admitting he wrote parish cheques to himself and deposited collection money into his own account.
An agreed statement of facts said an investigation by Deloitte and Touche revealed $1.16 million was deposited into Leclair’s account over a five-year period.
An analysis of deposits showed $769,000 was his salary, legitimate stipends, gifts from parishioners or casino winnings.
Roughly $400,000 deposited into Leclair’s personal account could not be explained. Leclair was charged with fraud, theft, money laundering and breach of trust in July 2012 after an 11-month police investigation.
On Monday, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast said the Archdiocese of Ottawa will help LeClair eventually return to his priestly ministry.
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