Catholic Priest Sentenced to Over Three Years in Prison for Stealing $650,000 from Church

LAS VEGAS—A Roman Catholic priest was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for his guilty plea to fraud for the theft of $650,000 from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Las Vegas over an eight-year period, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Kevin McAuliffe, 59, of Las Vegas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan, who also ordered McAuliffe to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison and to pay restitution to the church. McAuliffe pleaded guilty on October 7, 2011, to three counts of mail fraud.

McAuliffe, who had access to church bank accounts and cash and was responsible for submitting church accounting records and paying an annual assessment to the Las Vegas Diocese, admitted that he stole $650,000 from the church by taking cash from the gift shop, the votive candle collection, the missions and novenas fund, and the general bank account. McAuliffe also reimbursed himself for non-church-related expenses that he charged to his personal credit card. To cover up his crime, McAuliffe created and submitted false financial statements to the Las Vegas Diocese and signed letters containing the false financial information that were sent to the Archdiocese in San Francisco.

McAuliffe was permitted to self-report to federal prison by April 13, 2012. The Las Vegas Diocese assisted and cooperated fully in the investigation and prosecution of the case.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christina M. Brown.