A Catholic priest in Erie, Pennsylvania, has admitted to rigging a church raffle that offered a Chevy Corvette Stingray 1LT, and possibly misused the funds.
He is now facing a probe that seeks to examine the man’s gambling behavior and spending, and whether this was a contributing factor in his decision.
Not the Christian Thing to Do
The incident took place in December 2024, when the raffle was held, with each ticket worth $50, and a total pool of 1,000 tickets available.
The goal was to raise about $420,000 in funds for the Church, with the potential prize for the winners including the car, worth about $82,000 or $50,000 in cash. Things went on as normal until a winner was announced on Christmas Day.
The church stated on its Facebook page that a winner had been elected – one Martin Anderson, a resident of Detroit. The only snag was that the person purported to have won did not exist.
After it became apparent that the church had awarded a non-existent person the win, conversation began as to whether there was something untoward afoot. A subsequent investigation by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office quickly established the facts by obtaining search warrants on St Jude’s offices, the church, in March 2025.
Upon interviewing the priest, he admitted that he had indeed falsified the results and further moved the money from the raffle account to another one, also controlled by the church. Investigators are looking into whether the pastor had spent any of the money gambling, examining his expenses.
Examining the Pastor’s Gambling Behavior and Expenses
The transactions in question involve $300,000 that was transferred from the church’s account to the pastor’s American Express credit card between January 2024 and March 2025. However, it’s important to note that the pastor has not yet faced any charges.
A little shockingly, the church has decided to transfer him out of the parish while the investigation is ongoing.