Following the recent removal of church financial records from the premises, St. Paul’s Montvale has brought in an auditor to conduct an independent review of church finances. The auditor, who has expertise in corporate and non-profit investigations, has successfully led numerous cases to prosecution. This initiative does not mean that criminal conduct or misfeasance has occurred. Instead, it… Read More »
There’s a common saying in law enforcement, which is that sometimes, someone has to do something. What gets done may not be ideal. It may not comport with training. It may even be outside your department’s policy. But there are situations — like yesterday’s school shooting — where someone just needs to do something. To get it in… Read More »
Heather Cook is the former suffragan bishop of the Diocese of Maryland. Once considered a rising star in the Episcopal Church due to her emphasis on personal accountability, she was convicted in 2015 of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and texting while driving. This followed a incident in… Read More »
Earlier today, the long-awaited report on sexual misconduct within the SBC was released, and it’s a bombshell. Persons of every ilk use words like “rage,” “fury,” “incandescent,” and “apocalypse” to describe their reaction to the report’s damning findings. Even so, one has a sense that people lack proper adjectives to fully describe their reaction to the revelations. Yet… Read More »
Whayne Miller Hougland, Jr., served as bishop of the dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan prior to being suspended from ministry for having an affair with a married woman. Hougland also was married at the time. The suspension arose after the husband of the woman with whom he was having an affair called the presiding bishop’s office sometime… Read More »
Whayne Miller Hougland, Jr., served as bishop of the dioceses of Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan prior to being suspended from ministry for having an affair with a married woman. Hougland also was married at the time. The suspension arose after the husband of the woman with whom he was having an affair called the presiding bishop’s office sometime… Read More »
An assistant Episcopal Church treasurer and CPA in Wilkes-Barre has been sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to make restitution following his conviction for embezzlement. David Williams, 64, of Park Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, was convicted of stealing $20,000 from the church. A forensic audit revealed his theft totaled $76,659.11 from 2011 to 2018, but the majority was outside… Read More »
In 2020, Episcopal Priest Joell B. Szachara was defrocked in a Title IV disciplinary case. This was the result of an agreement between Szachara and Bishop De-De Duncan Probe, followed an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct by Szachara. Previously rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in New Hartford, Szachara was found to have misappropriated at least $150,000… Read More »
Former Episcopal priest Eric Dudley resigned as dean of the ACNA Cathedral of the Diocese of the Gulf Atlantic, following allegations he engaged in grooming behavior and sexual harassment of four men connected with the church. Dudley transitioned to the Anglican Church in 2013, after abruptly resigning as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tallahassee. The announcement,… Read More »
Episcopal priest Matthew Dutton-Gillet was fired in September 2020 after a forensic audit found he had embezzled more than $200,000 from Trinity Episcopal Church in Menlo Park, CA. A previous financial review by church leaders found that Dutton-Gillet had stolen at least $125,000. The Episcopal Diocese of California retained Evidentia Consulting of Redwood City to conduct the investigation. The firm… Read More »
The Rev. Canon Michael D. Archer of St. Wilfrid of York Church was defrocked in November 2018 after allegedly violating an agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles made when Archer previously was suspended from ministry. The suspension was imposed due to allegations of financial irregularities involving his expense and discretionary accounts. In a statement about the… Read More »