ILLINOIS/WISCONSIN
Chicago Tribune
Robert McCoppin
Chicago Tribune
A Greek Orthodox priest charged with stealing more than $100,000 from his church is expected to enter a plea Monday.
The Rev. James Dokos was accused of taking the money from a trust fund that was intended to benefit Annunciation Church in Milwaukee and spending it on himself, family members and other church leaders, including cash gifts to a high-ranking church official in Chicago.
Dokos was later transferred to Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Glenview but was suspended after he was charged with felony theft in Milwaukee.
Prosecutors there announced this month that a plea deal was expected in the case, but terms of the proposed settlement — such as whether it would include jail time — were not disclosed. Dokos has missed several court appearances since he has been charged, absences that have been mostly attributed by his lawyers to health problems.
The felony charges roiled the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, causing rifts between the church hierarchy in Chicago and some leaders and members of both the Glenview and Milwaukee parishes. Metropolis leaders, who oversee dozens of churches in the Midwest, ousted the parish council president in Glenview after he raised questions about how the internal investigation was handled, and other members left in protest. The priest who replaced Dokos in Milwaukee, and who had spoken out about the case, was later transferred.
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