It’s not uncommon to hear about people who swindled, stole, or embezzled money to fund their own lifestyles, but this might be a first.
A Catholic priest in Pennsylvania was arrested and charged with theft after stealing more than $40,000 from his church to spend on mobile games. 6abc reports that over the course of three years Lawrence Kozak used the money to spend on games such as Candy Crush, Mario Kart, Pokemon Go, and various slot games.
After an investigation by the church, they turned him over to authorities who charged him with felony theft. Kozak told police that he wasn’t using the money to gamble but rather “power up” on his games (via CBS News).
It was found that he also used the parish’s money to buy gifts for his goddaughter from Amazon.
He has been on administrative leave since 2022, and was formally charged this past April.
