Friday, October 3, 2014

Priest+Inmate=sex and charity fraud

by Gary Snyder


Detroit Catholic priest Timothy Kane had a sexual relationship with a Michigan prison inmate, and embezzled money from the Archdiocese of Detroit's Angel Fund charity to get money for the inmate and his family, according to a confession the priest made after his arrest.

Kane met the prisoner, Fonsha Reid, when Kane served as a prison chaplain about 14 years ago and they had a sexual relationship over the last three to four years

Kane's confession was read to a Wayne County Circuit Court jury by an investigator for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office who arrested the priest at the St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church rectory in northwest Detroit on Feb. 6.

He embezzled ‘to assist his incarcerated friend Fonsha with his personal needs," Kane said in the confession, and also help his family members by buying them gas and gifts and paying their rent.

The Angel Fund was operated by the archdiocese and funded by an anonymous donor, who gave about $17 million between 2005 and 2014 to help urban priests easily pay for emergency needs for poor people. After Kane was charged earlier this year, the archdiocese said the anonymous donor was discontinuing the fund.

The confession also described how an accomplice rounded up acquaintances to use their names and identification so Kane could make false applications for Angel Fund grants.

Other testimony indicated those grants often ranged from about $1,500 to as much as $5,000. From prison, The inmate enlisted the wife of another inmate to be part of the scheme and split Angel Fund monies among them and the applicant whose name was used. Suspicious requests amounted to $131,000.

One of the perpetrators let him use his name and identification for an Angel Fund grant for $1,500, saying he needed money to pay outstanding tickets and fix the roof. He said that he received only $300 from a $1,500 check because the priest, others and the inmate split the rest.

The taped phone calls that lead to the investigation recorded Kane describing himself in deep financial straits. (source)









Nonprofit Imperative gathers its information principally from public documents...some of which are directly quoted. Virtually all cited are in some phase of criminal proceedings; some have not been charged, however. Cites in various media: Featured in print, broadcast, and online media outlets, including: Charity Navigator, Vermont Public Radio, Miami Herald, National Public Radio (NPR), Huffington Post, The Sun News, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall Street Journal (Profile, News and Photos), “Betrayal”, (a movie), NBC (on Charity Fraud…TBD), FOX2, ABC Spotlight on the News, WWJ Radio, Marie Claire, Ethics World, Aspen Philanthropy Newsletter, Harvard Business Review, Current Affairs, Charity Navigator, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, St. Petersburg Times, Board Room Insider, USA Today Topics, Accountants News, Newsweek.com, Responsive Philanthropy Magazine, New York Times, Portfolio Magazine, The Virgin Islands Daily News, NANKAI (China) BUSINESS REVIEW, National Religious Broadcasters newsletter, The Charity Governance Blog, American Chronicle, Palm Beach Post, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, Nonprofit World, Socially Responsible Business Forum, PNNOnline, Ohio Nonprofit Resources, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide, Nonprofit Startup Guide, Nonprofit Blog, National Coalition of Homeless Newsletter, Finance and Administration Roundtable Newsletter, MichiganNonprofit.com, CORP! Magazine, Crain’s Michigan Nonprofit, ncrp.org, PhilanTopic, Nashville Free Press, Nonprofit Law Blog, Seniors World Chronicle, Carnegie Reporter, Assoc. of Certified Fraud Examiners Examiner, msnbc.com, Worchester (MA) Telegram and Gazette, Carnegie Corporation of America, EO Tax Journal, Wikipedia: Non-profit Organizations; Parent: Wise Austin, Accountants News, Veterans Today, Answers.com, Far-roundtable, #Nonprofit Report, nonprofithelpnews, nonprofit news; National Enquirer, Northwest Herald, The HelpWise Daily, The #Nonprofit Report, Wikipedia (Nonprofit Organization), Answers.com, Nonprofits: On the Brink (2006) Silence: The Impending Threat to the Charitable Sector (2011)

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