Father Gregory Allen Madeya, 69, from the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was arrested in Florida on August 14 on charges of embezzling approximately US$750,000 (about R$3.8 million) from three churches, Catholic community entities, and his own mother. Authorities indicate that the crimes date back to 2018.
According to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, Madeya allegedly embezzled US$319,997.03 from churches and faithful, in addition to more than US$230,000 from his mother's investment accounts, which she could no longer manage due to advanced age. Investigators revealed that she was even evicted from different nursing homes due to non-payment.
Sunday stated that it is "inconceivable to see an alleged man of God exploiting not only the churches he served, but also his own mother." The attorney added that the defendant "abused the trust of those around him and left them to recover from enormous financial losses."
