Catholic priest, who was involved in the bizarre Super Mario Kart scandal

A Catholic priest who stole 40,000 US dollars on municipal funds to fuel his addiction to Mario Kart and Candy Crush was spared from prison.

The 52 -year -old Father Lawrence Kozak remained guilty to suck the funds of St. Thomas Moore Church in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

He was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and has to write a letter of apology to his former municipality.

Kozak accused his crime on the stress of Covid 19 pandemic and lost his father and pain through a partial amputation of his leg after a car accident in 2016, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A court heard how the priest used a parish card card to fall tens of thousands of dollars for “power-ups” and other paid content in online games such as Cash Frzy, Willy Wonka Vegas Casino Slots and Assistant of Oz Slot Machine Game.

The games do not pay real money for victories, but require cash expenses.

He also used the stolen means to buy gifts for his niece, including a chemical set and an Amazon Fire Tablet.

According to an affidavit, his expenses were revealed by an accountant who checked the finances of the church in 2022.

Kozak initially denied the use of the parish credit card for these game expenditure, but admitted that he was “no detail” and would have been able to use it accidentally.

He told the investigators that he would advise for his addiction.

“I left my game away with games, and due to the lack of attention, my responsibility failed to be vigilant about the administrative part of my responsibility,” Kozak told the court.

“I am deeply sorry for the pain and the difficulties that were caused by the parishioners of St. Thomas more. No matter what, I should have been more attentive, and in this sense I really failed. '

Kozak was instructed to repay the community, and in the future it was no longer able to financial responsibility.

According to Ken Gavin, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, he was accommodated on an administrative vacation and is subject to a canonical examination.

The Advocacy Group Catholics4Change rejected the apology as “Hollow”.

“Hopefully Kozak's apology in court was filled by violins,” the group wrote.

Kozak used a parish credit card to make purchases in the online gaming worlds and buy gifts for his niece

The 52 -year -old Kozak is guilty of the funds of St. Thomas Moore Church in Pottstown, Pennsylvania

A court heard how the priest used a community credit card to drop tens of thousands of dollars for “power-ups” in Mario Kart and other paid content in online games

“While the apology rings hollow, the real excuse of Archbishop Nelson Perez, who promoted and installed Kozak to St. Thomas pastor in July 2020.

'With the current lack of priests and the “pulse, they get a community” that priests are promoted to pastors, Kozak's promotion to the pastor at St. Thomas More surprisingly, even in an archdiocese that always manages to scratch the floor of the barrel and have insensitive community, which pay the consequences that pay the consequences, the consequences, the consequences, the consequences

“Kozak should never have been the pastor.”

“Father Kozak was brought to administrative vacation by Archbishop Pérez in November 2022,” said a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

“He has not lived in Saint Thomas More Parish and has not had a task in the Ministry since then.

“In response to serious concerns about the suitability of Father Kozak, these measures were taken to serve because of his mismanagement of the community's finances.”