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)

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