MICHIGAN
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TROY, Mich. –
The priest of a church in Troy has temporarily stepped aside in the wake of an embezzlement investigation.
The Archdiocese of Detroit said the Rev. Edward Belczak of the St. Thomas More Parish was temporarily excluded from his post on Tuesday.
Both the Archdiocese and the Troy Police Department are conducting separate investigations into a slew of alleged misappropriation and mismanagement by Belczak.
They include:
•Taking excess compensation beyond archdiocesan policies, estimating a loss of $92,000 to the parish over the past six years.
•Accepting and directing funds to himself that should have been posted to parish accounts, estimating a loss to the parish of $16,000 over the past six years.
•Compensating, with benefits, an individual best described as a “ghost employee,” estimating a loss of $240,000 to the parish over the past six years.
•Maintaining improper medical/dental insurance coverage for an individual, estimating a loss of approximately $26,000 to the parish over the past six years.
•Authorizing a long-term disability policy for one employee, while not providing a similar benefit to other parish staff members, estimating a loss of $20,000 to the parish.
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