Priest Accused Of Stealing $143,000
Monday, September 12, 2011
SWISSVALE, Pa. -- Allegheny County prosecutors say a priest has been charged with stealing over $143,000 from his parish from 1999 to 2009.
The Rev. Francis Drabiska was charged Thursday with one count of theft by unlawful taking, according to the complaint. He was arraigned before District Judge Ross Cioppa and released on a non-monetary bond.Drabiska resigned from the Word of God parish last year, and allegedly admitted the theft to church authorities, but the amount wasn't mentioned at that time.
Auditors for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh were suspicious of missing collection money in 2005 because the count of loose cash was low, according to a criminal complaint filed by the district attorney's office.





