By admin 
(Gray News) – A former Pennsylvania Catholic priest has been arrested after allegedly stealing more than $740,000 from his own mother and multiple churches.
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Gregory Allen Madeya, 69, originally from Ukraine, was arrested on Aug. 14, in Vero Beach, Florida, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General reported.
He was charged with felony dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft by unlawful taking, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person, and access device fraud.
The charges stem from alleged thefts that date back to 2018 and were uncovered in an investigation into Madeya’s conduct.
Madeya is accused of fraudulently misappropriating nearly $320,000 from “multiple church-related people and entities” and the Knights of Columbus, Pennsylvania branch of the world’s largest Catholic men’s fraternal service organization.
Witnesses from across the church community informed investigators about “missing collections money,” as well as fundraising proceeds, donations, rent and church-related fees that “were never deposited into church accounts.”
Investigators also spoke to a jeweler, whom Madeya had allegedly approached and sold a gold chalice to while acting as a representative of his then-church, St. John the Baptist, per the release.
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The priest allegedly sold it to the jeweler for $19,440, with the jeweler believing the money would help the church’s finances, authorities said.
Madeya also allegedly made a “cash purchase” of a 2018 Ford Mustang for $35,433 during the “same period as the thefts,” saying it was given to the man living with him.
Investigators eventually found messages and photos “related to narcotics” and photographs of debit cards and bank documents related to St. John the Baptist.
They also discovered several “church-offering collection envelopes” in his trash.
In addition to the church thefts, the attorney general’s office also alleged that Madeya stole more than $230,000 from his mother’s investment accounts and failed to pay tax responsibilities totaling more than $248,000.
Investigators found that his mother had been evicted from multiple nursing home facilities because of a lack of payment and that Madeya had “abused his position as his mother’s power of attorney to steal funds meant for her care.
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