UPDATE @ 4:20 p.m.: The Rev. Earl Simone, 75, will spend five years in prison for stealing $1.9 million from his former Catholic church in Huber Heights, where he was pastor for 23 years, according to an agreement made in March when he admitted guilt.
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Dennis Langer on Wednesday imposed the five-year prison sentence and ordered he pay full restitution of $1.9 million. Simone will not get early release.
Assistant Montgomery County Prosecutor Ward Barrentine said he hopes the sale of Simone’s properties will produce some money to go toward restitution payments to St. Peter Church.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati, in a victim impact statement, said in part, “Father Earl Simone has lived lavishly … There is evidence to prove Father Simone stole over $1.9 million” over at least seven years.
“The emotional, psychological and spiritual devastation is indescribable,” the priest said making the victim impact statement.
For his part, Father Simone said, “I apologize for the people I hurt … but apologies are not enough.”
The court has received 29 letters of support for Simone.
One of them, read in court, said in part, “I’m not sure where to begin. He went out of his way to help parishioners in need. Father Simone is extraordinary, not perfect but extraordinary.”
UPDATE @ 4:05 p.m. (Aug. 3)
Sentencing will be underway soon for Earl Simone, the former pastor at Saint Peter Church. You can watch live here.
UPDATE @ 7:20 a.m. (Aug. 3)
Earl Simone, the former pastor at Saint Peter Church in Huber Heights, is scheduled to be sentenced at 4 p.m. today.
Simone has admitted to stealing more than $1.9 million from the church, and was convicted on March 10 of felony aggravated theft.
UPDATE @ 2:03 p.m. (July 21)
A sentencing day has been set for a former pastor who was found guilty of stealing money from a local church.
Earl Simone is scheduled to face a judge Aug. 3. Simone admitted to stealing more than $1.9 million from Saint Peter Church in Huber Heights and was convicted on March 10 of felony aggravated theft.
INITIAL REPORT
The former St. Peter Catholic Church pastor found guilty of theft of over $1.5 million from the Huber Heights church wrote a letter apologizing for his actions.
Parishioners at Saint Peter Catholic Church read Father Earl Simone’s apology in a bulletin over the weekend.
“I am anguished that I have let so many people down, and even worse, made some question their faith,” Simone wrote in the letter. “I accept absolute responsibility for my actions and am ready to face the consequence of serving time in prison for my actions.”
Saint Peter Rev. Anthony Cutcher said the parishioners’ trust was violated.
“The parish did, indeed, owe him nothing,” Cutcher said. “When I read the letter and I realized that it was a better apology than we’ve gotten yet, I thought that it was actually better for the parish to hear him say, ‘I’m sorry.’”
But Cutcher admitted there is something missing in the letter.
“It’s like I’m sorry, but … ” Cutcher said. “A number of people commented on that particular piece of that letter, and I tend to agree.”
Cutcher was referring about Simone’s repeated reference to the “mystery” of why he committed the crime.
“This is a hallmark of a type of addiction; it’s almost like a gambling addiction,” Cutcher said. “To where the person has no idea what motivated them to do it. They just did it. … (But) once the person expresses sorrow and asks forgiveness, that forgiveness is given.”
Simone is awaiting sentencing after he admitted to stealing $1.92 million from parishioners to buy real estate.
“I ask for your continued prayers and offer my deepest apologies and I ask your forgiveness for any hurt I have caused you,” Simone wrote in the letter.
Simone also has been sued by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the defendants in that civil suit are seeking a return of the money.
Cutcher said the church now has proper checks in place, making sure more than one person handles the church’s money in the future.
A sentencing date has not been set for Simone.
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