http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crim...icle-1.2714100
It was an ungodly amount.
A Canadian priest allegedly gambled away more than $500,000 that was intended to help Syrian refugees, cops said.
Father Amer Saka of St. Joseph's Chaldean Catholic Church in London, Ontario, was charged with fraud and a related possession charge Wednesday, according to the London Free Press.
Though released on bail, the problematic priest has been ordered not to enter any casino and has been suspended from his church.
Bishop Emanuel Shaleta, the leader of the church, said Saka allegedly told him what he did with the incredible sum when confronted about the donations given by families, under the impression he would hold it for their refugee relatives.
"I cornered him," Shaleta told the London Free Press in March when the allegations first surfaced. "I said, 'I need to know where is this.' He confessed. Right away, I removed him from the parish."
Shaleta said the money came from families throughout Canada, not just the London parish. An unidentified member of St. Joseph's said he believed the final amount that had vanished actually totaled over $800,000, relating he knew one family that gave $70,000 to Saka for their imperiled loved ones.
While insisting that the congregation was uninvolved in the loss of over half a million dollars, Shaleta said that after Saka told him what he'd done, the bishop contacted police and took Saka to a clinic for priests with mental health issues such as addiction.
"They trusted him, this money was not for him," said Shaleta. "It was to be given back to the refugees."
Police have yet to determine whether any funds were actually deposited with any church for the purpose of sponsoring refugees of the Syrian war.
What a heartwarming story. I sincerely hope all of the rest of the west can be half the shining example of enlightenment that this one Canadian is.