Fla. priest pleads guilty to pilfering church funds

The Rev. John Skehan pleaded guilty to stealing from the St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach, Fla. (Gary Coronado/ Associated Press/ Pool)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - One of two Florida priests accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from their church pleaded guilty yesterday, the same day jury selection was set to begin in the case.

Rev. John Skehan, 81, pleaded guilty to bilking parishioners at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach for years. Skehan, who had been at the church 40 years, had been accused of taking $370,000 between 2001 and 2006, the timeframe covered by the statute of limitations. Church auditors, however, believe the figure stolen over the years was in the millions.

He and the Rev. Francis Guinan had been charged with stealing to fund lavish lifestyles in what authorities say could be one of the biggest embezzlement cases to hit the US Catholic Church. Prosecutors say the priests plucked cash from the offering plate and spent it on upscale homes, gambling trips to Las Vegas with a mistress, even a $275,000 rare coin collection.

"Father Skehan accepted responsibility for his actions by virtue of his guilty plea," his attorney, Scott Richardson, said outside court. "It's been extraordinarily difficult for him from the beginning."

Sentencing for Skehan is set for March 20. Richardson said he could receive up to 31 years in prison or as little as probation, and was hoping for leniency from the judge.

Guinan's trial was delayed until Feb. 18. Guinan, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of stealing $488,000 during the 19 months after he became pastor in September 2003.

His attorney, Richard Barlow, said he would prove Guinan, 66, did nothing wrong, and that Skehan's plea does not affect his case.

"The fact that they were both priests and were at the same church doesn't make my guy guilty," Barlow said, adding that he would prove Guinan spent the money on church business.