Fmr. Church Official Sentenced For Stealing Thousands From Mendota Heights Church
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 48-year-old New Brighton man has been sentenced for stealing more than $30,000 from Mendota Heights Catholic church while working as the church's director of operations.
On Friday, the Dakota County Attorney's Office announced a judge sentenced Christopher Paul Seiple to 30 days in jail, 30 days of electronic home monitoring, 10 years of supervised probation and restitution in the amount of $118,162.02
According to a criminal complaint, an audit at the church in Mendota Heights last summer uncovered numerous suspicious transactions involving checks deposited to Seiple's account. The audit found that between November 2018 and May 2019 multiple checks, with a total value more than $33,000, were deposited into Seiple's account.
In an interview with investigators, Seiple admitted to issuing several checks to vendors on behalf of the church and depositing the checks into his own bank account. He said all the suspicious checks were unauthorized and fraudulent, the complaint states.
Seiple told investigators he was using the money to buy up to $400 in scratch-off tickets every day. He said he did it because he was behind on his mortgage.
After the sentencing, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom thanked Mendota Heights police for their thorough investigation and Assistant County Attorney Mary Russell for prosecuting the case.
"We are pleased to have brought this former church employee to justice in this theft from a faith institution which was in part motivated by gambling," Backstrom said.