A Catholic priest from Chester County, Pennsylvania, found himself in hot water after allegedly splurging over $40,000 or approximately (Php 2,298,240.00) of church funds on mobile games like Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour. He was arrested last week.
Reverend Lawrence Kozak, formerly associated with St. Thomas More church, faced charges for theft and related offenses.
Suspicions arose in 2022 regarding financial irregularities within the church’s accounts. An accountant’s scrutiny uncovered a slew of Apple transactions, all linked to the church’s credit card accounts and seemingly under Mr. Kozak’s care. These transactions spanned a troubling three-year period, from 2019 until his removal from duties in 2022.
Following his arrest on April 25, Mr. Kozak didn’t mince words during police questioning. He admitted to battling an addiction to mobile gaming and confessed to channeling church funds into in-game purchases. At one point, he argued that he didn’t use the money to gamble but to level-up in the games.
Although he expressed remorse and cited ongoing therapy efforts to combat his gaming addiction, the gravity of his actions reverberated through the community.
To his credit, Mr. Kozak made strides towards rectifying the situation. He dipped into his personal funds, repaying $10,000, and extended a further $8,000 to the church since his apprehension.
For now, Reverend Lawrence Kozak awaits the verdict of justice, his actions leaving a lasting impact on the sanctity of church finances.
