A former Westmoreland County-based Ukrainian Catholic priest has been charged with stealing more than $740,000 from three churches, church affiliates and his mother.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced charges against Gregory Allen Madeya, 69, on Monday. Madeya was arrested on Friday in Florida.
Sunday says the charges follow a multi-year investigation into conduct dating back to 2018. Investigators allege Madeya fraudulently misappropriated $319,997.03 from church entities and individuals, stole more than $230,000 from his mother’s investment accounts and failed to fulfill $248,663.43 in resulting tax liabilities.
According to investigators, Madeya stole from local churches, the Knights of Columbus and his mother, who was at an age where she could not manage her own finances. Authorities stated Madeya abused his position as his mother’s power of attorney to divert funds intended for her care, resulting in her eviction from multiple nursing home facilities for nonpayment.
Attorney General Dave Sunday condemned the alleged theft following the arrest.
“It is unconscionable to see a supposed man of God exploiting not only the churches he served, but his own mother,” Sunday said. “This defendant abused the trust of those around him and left them to recover from mammoth financial losses.”
On Madeya’s electronic devices, investigators discovered messages and photos related to narcotics, alongside photographs of debit cards and bank records belonging to St. John the Baptist church. State agents also found several church-offering collection envelopes inside Madeya’s trash.
Witnesses across the church community reported instances where collection funds, fundraising proceeds, donations, rent and church-related fees were never deposited into church bank accounts. Investigators also interviewed a jeweler who stated Madeya approached him to sell a gold chalice that had been bought for $19,440 under the belief that the funds would support church operations.
During the same timeframe as the alleged thefts, Madeya made a $35,433.58 cash purchase of a 2018 Ford Mustang, which was given to a man living with him.
Madeya faces charges of felony dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, theft by unlawful taking, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person and access device fraud.
He remains in custody in Florida awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.
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