A Catholic priest who led among New Orleans’ best-known urban churches till being implicated of sexually molesting a kid has actually been reported to federal authorities for possible monetary criminal activities after an audit discovered he invested almost $400,000 of his congregants’ cash in doubtful methods.
John Asare-Dankwah ran the St Peter Claver church in New Orleans’ historical Treme community from 2014 till early 2021, when a suit declaring that he raped a young boy on an out-of-state over night journey years previously triggered church authorities to forever suspend him from his function.
Asare-Dankwah, 62, has actually rejected the rape allegation. His monetary stewardship at St Peter Claver– whose parishioners grapple with high levels of hardship and weapon violence– likewise fell under examination after the city’s archdiocese in 2020 ended up being the earliest in the United States to submit for personal bankruptcy, mainly due to the fact that of suits relating to the Catholic church’s continuous around the world clerical molestation scandal.
An archdiocesan audit finished in August 2021 and unsealed on Friday as part of the record in the lawsuits fixating Asare-Dankwah likewise comprehensive prospective financial abnormalities at St Peter Claver while he supervised there, consisting of $368,682 in dispensations made to him or on his behalf from cash contributed by congregants.
Those consisted of more than $80,000 in checks constructed out to Asare-Dankwah and almost $72,000 in payments to his individual American Express charge card, none of which consisted of documents developing that the cash was invested for legitimate factors.
Another almost $67,000 from a church Visa charge card in Asare-Dankwah’s name was paid to dining establishments, food suppliers and supermarket chains, consisting of Costco and the reasonably top-end Whole Foods, according to the audit.
Two savings account for unique charity events were likewise flagged, consisting of one referring to a December 2018 vehicle raffle. Asare-Dankwah, initially from Ghana, informed auditors that the raffle for the $21,000 automobile raised less than $38,000
The audit exposed that more than $103,000 was transferred into an account related to the raffle from which funds were paid out till Asare-Dankwah was suspended– well after the raffle date. The evaluation wasn’t able to figure out precisely who had the automobile, though it stated the priest remembered that the raffle winner didn’t accept the lorry, offered it back to the stemming dealer and after that transferred the profits into the church’s coffers.
Another fundraising event account– pitched as a structure enhancement project fund to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of St Peter Claver’s starting– signed up almost $136,000 in money withdrawals by Asare-Dankwah that the auditors composed “might represent prospective misappropriations” since absolutely nothing developed that the cash was invested for its designated function.
The audit kept in mind that Asare-Dankwah drew a yearly wage of $23,340 in addition to an annual service allowance of $7,200, and he was offered real estate, insurance coverage and retirement advantages.
He was likewise extremely generous in payments he provided to priests who carried out masses on a going to basis, composing them checks balancing about $987 for their services– when a normal payment is $50– developing another almost $220,150 in costs that may not be unlawful however was still uneasy, according to the audit.
Before the audit concentrating on Asare-Dankwah was unsealed, the archdiocese turned it over to the FBI, which examines cases of possible bank and charge card scams, court records submitted on Friday revealed.
Authorities since Saturday had actually not charged Asare-Dankwah or any other administrative staff members at St Peter Claver called in the report with any criminal activities.
An archdiocesan representative stated Saturday that the discovery of St Peter Claver’s monetary problems resulted straight from due diligence bought after Asare-Dankwah’s elimination from ministry.
A lawyer for Asare-Dankwah didn’t right away react to an ask for discuss Saturday about the findings of the audit.
The Josephite Fathers Catholic order purchased St Peter Claver in 1920 to serve the Black population because location of New Orleans. It is a popular project stop for political leaders running for regional and state workplaces.
After losing the pastorship over the kid rape claim submitted versus him, Asare-Dankwah countersued his accuser, declaring libel. The disagreement, like the archdiocesan insolvency filing, stays unsolved.
Asare-Dankwah’s countersuit argues that his accuser unduly damaged the credibility he developed in part by beginning an individual advancement institute suggested to assist attend to New Orleans’ high levels of weapon violence, though the group– which as soon as noted the city’s curre