Priest who stole $2 Million receives a 5-year prison term
The Catholic priest who stole from his parish is locked up in the Monmouth County Jail. The Rev. joseph Hughes pleaded for leniency from Superior Court Judge Better Uhrmacher which was denied. Instead the Superior Judge sentence Rev. Hughes to five years in prison.
Rev Hughes pleaded guilty last month to taking in excess of $75,000 in parish money. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office put the figure at $2,032,422. Rev. Hughes never plead guilty to stealing the full amount, however, he did agree as part of his plea deal to repay it. Rev Hughes also agreed to pay $120,229 to the state in back taxes. Question: What policies and procedures do you have in place to protect your church from embezzlement? Who counts the offering and who verifies it? When is the offering counted and is it maintained under a secured area with CCTV and card access? Does your church require that all church checks require two signatures?