A former priest in Jefferson City, Mo., has pleaded guilty to stealing $100,000 from a local church and sending it to his sister in Tucson, Arizona.
The Rev. Ignazio C. Medina, 72, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting stolen property across state lines.
Medina, a Catholic priest, was pastor at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Wardsville, Mo., from 2013 to 2021. The diocese discovered financial irregularities at the church in 2018, and Medina was asked to include a previously unreported bank account in the parish’s annual report.
Medina reported an account balance of about $358,000 in 2020, but it was discovered that he had emptied the account after he was transferred to a different parish in 2021. On June 10, 2021, Medina wrote a $100,000 check to his sister in Tucson, and the next day he wrote a $200,000 check payable to himself.
Donors who contributed checks to the church contradicted Medina’s claim that the funds were for his discretionary use. One donor told investigators that he intended his donation to be used in the school in memory of a deceased friend.
Medina is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, and a sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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