{"id":10510,"date":"2016-07-20T17:04:47","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T17:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:81\/wordpress\/?p=10510"},"modified":"2016-07-20T17:04:47","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T17:04:47","slug":"london-priest-charged-with-theft-of-funds-for-refugees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nrlawyers.com\/chinese\/london-priest-charged-with-theft-of-funds-for-refugees\/","title":{"rendered":"London priest charged with theft of funds for refugees"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

A Chaldean Catholic priest of London has been charged with the theft of $500,000 that was raised to help sponsor refugees for resettlement. The 51-year-old clergyman has been\u00a0under investigation<\/a>\u00a0since February for misappropriation of funds meant for the church-sponsored program.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Press reports that the\u00a0money had been donated<\/a>\u00a0by more than 20 individuals. According to The Huffington Post Canada, family members had given the money to help sponsor loved ones overseas such as in Iraq or Syria.<\/p>\n

The investigation reportedly involved not only Ontario, but also the U.S. and other countries where prospective Canadian refugees resided.<\/p>\n

According to the Hamilton Spectator, the priest allegedly lost the money by gambling it away. He has been charged with\u00a0fraud exceeding $5,000<\/a>\u00a0as well as possession of proceeds of property or things worth more than $5,000.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Criminal Code provides that a fraud conviction when the amount exceeds $5,000 can bring a prison term of up to 14 years. The Code provides further that when a court determines the appropriate sentence, it may consider certain aggravating circumstances, including:<\/p>\n