A former Catholic priest in Pennsylvania is facing criminal charges for allegedly spending around $40,000 of church funds on gaming apps like Candy Crush, Mario Kart, and Pokémon Go.
Lawrence Kozak, who was a pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Pittstown, reportedly used thousands of dollars from church accounts for transactions linked to his Apple ID, totaling over $214,000, with nearly $44,000 charged to a parish-associated credit card.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, there were over 2,000 transactions labeled as “gaming” between September 2019 and June 2022.
The gaming apps involved, such as Willy Wonka Vegas Casino Slots, do not offer real-money rewards but require users to spend real money to play.
Kozak faces charges including theft by unlawful taking, failing to properly allocate funds, and unauthorized access of a device.
He posted bail and was set to appear in court for arraignment on Thursday at the Chester County Magisterial District Court.
This case follows earlier warnings to Kozak about his spending practices linked to parish accounts.
