A Downington priest has been arrested and charged with stealing nearly $100,000 of church funds for a beach house at the New Jersey shore, travel, Grindr dates with other men and other “sexual relationships with men.”
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced the arrest of Father Joseph McLoone, 56, for the theft of $98,405.50 from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. McLoone is alleged to have diverted parish funds into a secret account, misappropriating fees charged to parishioners and other fraudulent activity. McLoone has been charged with “theft by unlawful taking” and related offenses.
McLoone is pastor at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania, but was put on administrative leave in 2018 when the Archdiocese began investigating him.
District Attorney Chief of Staff Charles Gaza stated, “Father McLoone held a position of leadership and his parishioners trusted him to properly handle their generous donations to the church. Father McLoone violated the trust of the members of St. Joseph’s for his own personal gain.”
The diverted funds were allegedly contained in a bank account named “St. Joseph Activity Account,” which McLoone opened Nov. 2, 2011, his first All Souls holiday as pastor of the church. McLoone is alleged to have not only diverted church funds, but for charging extra for services he offered.
Among the accusations against McLoone, the DA’s statement asserts, “The defendant took full advantage of the lack of control over the activity account and used it to fund his personal lifestyle. His lifestyle included a beach house, travel, dining and spending on adult men with whom he maintained sexual relationships. The defendant additionally supplemented his income by doubling the stipend he collected for saying each mass and performing weddings and funerals.”
In addition, “The defendant made thousands of dollars in payments directly to men with whom he maintained relationships via Square and JPay online services.”
This is the second violation of trust by a priest for members of St. Joseph’s Parish. McLoone had taken over the position of pastor in 2011 following the removal of Msgr. William Lynn due to Lynn’s indictment and incarceration in the priest sex abuse scandal. Lynn was arrested, charged and convicted for concealing child sex abuse by priests while he worked for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He was the highest-placed member of the church hierarchy to be tried and convicted in the ongoing scandal.
During his tenure at St. Joseph’s Parish, McLoone is charged with having used his position as pastor to “circumvent financial controls and illegally change practices which benefited him financially,” according to the DA.
Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy, but in an affidavit from the Chester County District Attorney’s office, McLoone told investigators that he used some of the funds to pay for “personal relationships” with other men. In 2018, he made ten deposits totaling more than $1,200 via JPay, an app that allows users to send money to inmates, to a man in a New York correctional facility. The inmate was identified in court documents as Brian Miller, whom McLoone allegedly met on Grindr. Between April 2015 and April 2017, McLoone allegedly also made 17 payments totaling $1,720 to other men he met on the gay dating app.
A statement from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia declares, “These charges are serious and disturbing.” The Archdiocese plans to pursue full financial restitution on behalf of the parish for the misused expenditures. The statement asserts that McLoone “acknowledged that some expenditures” were used “for personal expenses of an inappropriate nature.”
The statement reads, “Those expenses were related to relationships with adults that represented a violation of The Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries established by the Archdiocese.”
The guidelines are extensive and preclude any sexual engagement of any kind with adults or minors and stipulates that “Church Personnel who are committed to a celibate lifestyle are called to be an example of celibate chastity in all relationships at all times” and that “Church Personnel may not exploit another person for sexual purposes.”
The Archdiocese said they’re working with law enforcement and will share updates with parishioners.
St. Joseph’s parish declined comment.
In an NBC News interview, McLoone’s attorney, Melissa McCafferty, denied the allegations against her client. “Father Joe wants, needs and deserves a lot of pushback,” McCafferty said. “These assertions are absurd.”
According to McCafferty, the case against McLoone “should not have been taken up by law enforcement.” She said, “This DA’s office is notorious for filing charges on suspicion and conjecture. These accusations came about from a private letter sent to his employer, not from anything criminally substantial.”
McLoone is being held on $50,000 unsecured bond.
The DA’s office said the case was investigated by the Chester County Detectives. Anybody with further information should contact Detective Bernard Martin at 610-344-6866. The assigned prosecutor is Caitlin Rice.