US priest caught spending church money on male escorts
A Catholic priest in the US has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading no contest to stealing more than $1m (€675,944) in church money and spending it on male escorts and a lavish lifestyle.
The Rev Kevin Gray, former pastor at Sacred Heart/Sagrado Corazon Parish in Waterbury, Connecticut, was also sentenced to three years of probation.
The Republican-American reports that a plea of no contest was entered on Gray’s behalf, which means he did not admit guilt, but a conviction for first-degree larceny was entered on his record.
Prosecutors say the 65-year-old Gray will not have to pay back the money because the Diocese of Hartford did not ask for restitution.
Gray’s lawyer called many of the charges against his client overblown.
