FLORIDA
Florida Today
J.D. Gallop, FLORIDA TODAY September 6, 2016
Police say a Rockledge priest took widow’s money, spent thousands on everything from car payments to gourmet chocolate
It began with a simple question from a widow about her bank account and ended with Rockledge detectives and Orlando Diocese accountants poring over financial statements, looking into the spending habits of a longtime priest, 73-year-old Father Nicholas King.
What detectives say they uncovered, according to court documents, was a priest who funneled money into his own private account with expenses that ranged from several hundred dollars in restaurant meals, a $9,000 down payment on a car, $6,000 to his sister, and $700 in spending at a gourmet chocolate shop.
Last week, Father King of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Rockledge, was arrested on charges of grand theft from a person older than 65 years of age in excess of $50,000 and organized fraud involving funds over $50,000, records show. No court date has been set.
Rockledge police began investigating the case August 24 after a 79-year-old widow notified church authorities that her money market account set aside for assisting the church was overdrawn, records show. Police said King was “surprised” by the investigation and denied any wrongdoing.
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