Wexford priest accused of stealing $1.5m from church with secretary
Pair ‘took people’s hard-earned cash’
THE secretary of a deceased Wexford priest has turned herself in after the pair were accused of stealing $1.5million from a church in Florida.
Police allege that the late Fr Richard Murphy, who died in 2020, and secretary Deborah True, ‘personally benefited’ from funds donated by parishioners at Holy Cross Catholic Church in the US state.
The priest and his former parish administrator allegedly fraudulently deposited nearly $1.5 million (€1.5m) of parishioners’ donations into a hidden bank account over a five-year period.
The Vero Beach Police Department told CBS News that it had been contacted in December 2021 by the Diocese of Palm Beach. It told police there was a possible misappropriation of funds.
Vero Beach police chief David Currey said: ‘You’re talking about a five-year period of time, where people have given their hardearned money every week, for five years from 2015-2020 to the tune of about $1.5 million.
‘It’s certainly disappointing that this has taken place. I used the word “trust” because the trust was there. Hopefully it still is, but it’s very hard to trust when something like this happens.’
Police conducted a nine-month fraud investigation and found Ms True, 69, and Fr Murphy, 80, had opened a bank account under the name of ‘Holy Cross Catholic Church,’ which was hidden from the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach.
They said bank records showed that $1.5million of parishioners’ donations were fraudulently deposited into the account since 2015. Investigators said that from 2015 to 2020, Ms True used over $500,000 of those funds to pay off personal lines of credit and $147,000 was withdrawn from the account and deposited into Ms True’s personal bank account.
Police said Fr Murphy, formerly of St Joseph’s, Waterloo Road, Wexford town, also personally benefited from the funds in the account.
Vero Beach resident Jimmy Benincasa told CBS of his surprise at the revelation, saying: ‘He was a very kind, very religious man. You would never think that he would be involved in anything that’s corrupt.’
As Fr Murphy has died, no criminal investigation was opened against him.
Ms True reportedly told detectives that Fr Murphy instructed her not to disclose the separate account. She also admitted that Fr Murphy gave her permission to use the donated funds to pay off her debt, and said she had closed the account after Fr Murphy’s death to protect him.
On Monday, Ms True turned herself in at the Indian River County Jail. The police department has stated that she faces one count of organised fraud over $50,000. She has since received bail and is awaiting trial.
In a statement, the Diocese of Palm Beach confirmed: ‘Criminal charges were recently filed by the State Attorney’s Office related to financial irregularities discovered last year by the Diocese of Palm Beach at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach.
‘The Diocese of Palm Beach reported concerns to local law enforcement after discovering these irregularities and has fully co-operated throughout their investigation.’
It continued: ‘The diocese understands that an arrest has been made of a former employee. The Diocese of Palm Beach is committed to financial accountability in all of its parishes and entities and will continue to co-operate in this process. This matter does not involve the current pastor at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach.’
According to Fr Murphy’s 2020 obituary, Ms True was his longtime secretary who later became his care-giver while he was in a hospice with a chronic illness.
‘I will miss everything about
‘He was a kind, religious man’ ‘He was such a fantastic leader’
him,’ Ms True told VeroNews after Fr Murphy’s death in March 2020.
Fr Murphy, who was ordained in Co. Wexford, had been pastor at Holy Cross for nearly 23 years.
He was ordained in 1965 having studied in St Peter’s Seminary, and set off for America that same year.
He served in various parishes in south Florida, and was also president of the Catholic Charities’ affordable housing scheme for seniors.
He often returned to Wexford, and in 2015, he celebrated the golden jubilee of his ordination at a function at the Talbot Hotel in the town, which was attended by over 90 relatives and friends.
‘He was such a fantastic leader,’ Ms True said. ‘He cared about the parishioners and they cared about him. He believed we needed to reach out to people in the community whenever there was a need.’ She added: ‘He really cared about Vero Beach. He was a private person who didn’t like accolades or awards. He did stuff
from the heart.’