Father Lawrence Kozak, a priest from St. Thomas More Parish in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, faces criminal charges for misappropriating over $41,000 of parish funds to finance his mobile game addiction.
According to an affidavit, Kozak utilized the parish’s credit cards to make thousands of purchases on games such Candy Crush, Pokemon Go and Mario Kart Tour.
The investigation into Kozak’s spending habits began when an accountant noticed an “astronomical amount of Apple transactions” on the parish’s credit card statements.
These discrepancies were initially flagged in 2022, and following an internal review, the matter was referred to law enforcement. Pennsylvania State Police arrested Kozak last week, alleging misuse of parish funds intended for property or services.
During his interaction with the police, Kozak admitted to his gaming habits, saying that he had both his personal bank card and the parish credit card linked to his iPhone for legitimate expenses before the mix-up occurred. He told investigators he “wasn’t paying attention and should have been.”
Father Kozak’s case continues as he faces charges of theft and related crimes. He remains on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal prosecution, with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the parish cooperating with ongoing investigations.
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