{"id":304113,"date":"2023-12-20T04:43:54","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T10:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=304113"},"modified":"2023-12-20T10:14:25","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T16:14:25","slug":"gambling-addicted-priest-allegedly-stole-117k-from-his-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/gambling-addicted-priest-allegedly-stole-117k-from-his-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Gambling-Addicted Priest Allegedly Stole $117K From His Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Pennsylvania<\/a> Greek Orthodox priest who suffers from a gambling addiction<\/a> appeared in court this week for allegedly stealing more than $117K from his church.<\/p>\n

\"Father
Father George Athanasiou, pictured above, appeared in court on charges following alleged gambling using church money. (Image: @thebax33\/X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Father George Athanasiou, 37, was charged in connection with the embezzlement<\/a> from bank accounts belonging to All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Canonsburg, Pa. He\u2019s facing 223 counts of theft following his November 29 arrest.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between April 2022 and last month, Athanasiou allegedly improperly cashed numerous checks involving church funds, authorities said. He reportedly deposited the money into his own account before withdrawing it via an ATM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mental Exam Ordered<\/h2>\n

During a court appearance on Monday, Athanasiou waved his right to a preliminary hearing. A judge ordered him to undergo an exam to check on his emotional health. The priest was released from custody after posting bond.<\/p>\n

In addition, Athanasiou was suspended without pay from his assistant priest\u2019s post after the theft scheme was discovered, according to The National Herald<\/em>, a Greek news outlet.<\/p>\n

He had a gambling problem,”<\/strong> Patrick Thomassey, Athanasiou\u2019s attorney, told Pennsylvania TV station WPXI<\/em> this week. \u201cHe alluded to that in the statement he gave to police. And that\u2019s not uncommon today.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So far, it\u2019s not been revealed where the priest was gambling or on what he was wagering.<\/p>\n

Athanasiou plans to repay<\/a> the church.<\/p>\n

“People are upset, but a lot of the church people are actually supporting the father, and I\u2019m gonna tell you right now, we\u2019re gonna pay back all this money, every cent,\u201d Thomassey told WPXI<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re not sure what the figure is. We know it\u2019s high. We already have a lot of money ready to make restitution in this case,\u201d Thomassey added.<\/p>\n

Internal Inquiry<\/h2>\n

Athanasiou was arrested after an internal investigation \u201cinitiated by members of the parish leadership when certain discrepancies regarding the parish\u2019s stewardship emerged. Community leadership then passed the information to local law enforcement, who took over the investigation, leading to Fr. George\u2019s arrest,\u201d according to a statement released by regional church officials, the Herald <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n

\n

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has taken over the prosecution of the criminal case, according to Pennsylvania TV station KDKA<\/em>. That\u2019s because of a possible conflict of interest. Some lawyers at the Washington County District Attorney’s Office are members of the All Saints church.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In a separate civil case, Athanasiou is the subject of a lawsuit from a Pennsylvania landlord over a $3K dispute.<\/p>\n

The senior priest in charge of All Saints, Dimitrios Kyritsis, who began at his post after Athanasiou\u2019s departure, said the parish appreciated the support received by regional church officials.<\/p>\n

Kyritsis had a 30-year career in law enforcement before serving the parish. He was even an interim police chief. He also worked as a disaster chaplain for International Orthodox Christian Charities. He assisted in the Harvest Music Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

All Saints Greek Orthodox Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Pennsylvania Greek Orthodox priest who suffers from a gambling addition appeared in court this week for allegedly stealing over $117K from his church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":304121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,60],"tags":[13766,84968,87187,81928,45],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGambling-Addicted Priest Allegedly Stole $117K From His Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A Pennsylvania Greek Orthodox priest appeared in court for allegedly stealing over $117K from his church. 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