August 22, 2019
Watch: Pa. Priest Accused of Stealing Nearly $100K from Church to Pay for Grindr Dates & More
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The Chester County District Attorney's Office in Pennsylvania announced this week that a priest has been arrested and accused of stealing nearly $100,000 from his church and allegedly used that money to pay for a beach house and men he met on the gay dating app Grindr, according to a report from Philly Mag.
Father Joseph McLoone, 58, of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Downingtown, Pa. stole $98,400 from the church and used the funds for a beach house, travel, dining and on boyfriends, the Chester County District Attorney's Office said.
"Father McLoone held a position of leadership and his parishioners trusted him to properly handle their generous donations to the church," District Attorney Chief of Staff Charles Gaza said in a statement. "Father McLoone violated the trust of the members of St. Joseph's for his own personal gain."
The priest has been charged with 18 counts, including multiple counts of felony theft. He was arrested early Wednesday morning and is currently out on bail.
"These charges are serious and disturbing," Kenneth Gavin, chief communications officer for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, said in a statement to Philly Mag. "The Archdiocese and the parish will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the criminal matter enters its next phase.
"Pending the outcome, Monsignor McLoone remains on administrative leave. Information regarding his arrest will be shared with the Saint Joseph Parish community," he added.
An investigation by Chester County detectives into McLoone was launched more than a year ago, according to an affidavit of probably caused filed in the case, Philly Mag reports. He had been with St. Joseph's since 20102 and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia began its own internal investigation into the priest in 2017. Officials say McLoon opened a secret checking account in 2011 and diverted parishioner donations into it. He is also accused of misappropriating other church funds.
Investigators say when McLoone was confronted by church officials about the money, he also admitted to paying for "personal relationships" with other money, the newspaper reports. According to the police complaint filed in court, the priest allegedly sent thousands of dollars to men he met on Grindr using online payment services like Square and J-Pay.
Watch NBC Philadelphia's report on McLoone below.
