Who is Francesco Spagnesi? Priest stole $117K from church to fund gay sex parties
A Roman Catholic priest has been placed under house arrest after being accused of stealing church funds to fuel his drug habit and to organize elaborate gay orgies. He was nabbed after police received a tip-off about his roommate importing a liter of the common date rape drug GHB from the Netherlands which aids in incapacitating victims of sexual assault. During the investigation, police interviewed 200 people who over the past two years are believed to have attended sex parties organized by Father Francesco Spagnesi, a highly regarded priest from Prato near Florence, Italy.
We have reported on similar incidents in the past where church authorities and people with a close association with the establishment have come under fire for their misdoings. For instance, nun Mary Margaret Kreuper, a nun from California admitted to embezzling $835K from the funds of St. James Catholic School “to pay for expenses that the order would not have approved, much less paid for, including large gambling expenses incurred at casinos and certain credit card charges.”
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Who is Rev Francesco Spagnesi?
40-year-old Rev Francesco Spagnesi of Italy allegedly embezzled $117,000 from his parish funds and also diverted parishioner's donations to organize sex parties and buy party favors for the same. According to a report, Spagnesi and his roommate used dating sites to invite guests to their parties where drugs were sold and taken. Amongst other things found during a raid at their home, police also found bottles that were allegedly adapted for smoking crack cocaine.
The scandal came to light after Spagnesi's access to the parish's bank account was revoked. A parish accountant had recently discovered that Spagnesi withdrew $100,000 from the account which led to the local bishop stepping in and cutting his access to the account. Spagnesi still needed the money to buy drugs and he started seeking donations from parishioners, telling them he was raising money for low-income families, and also stole from the collection plate. He was able to collect $1700 from parishioners who held him in high regard before this scandal blew up.
Apart from embezzlement, Spagnesi could also be charged with attempted physical harm. A report suggests, Spagnesi is HIV positive and that he allegedly failed to tell the other participants about his condition, according to prosecutors. Spagnesi said he indulged in safe sex during the parties but some witnesses have come forward to contradict his claim.
