By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

FRONTENAC, Kan. — The former business manager of the Catholic church in Frontenac has pleaded guilty in a federal case in connection with the embezzlement of $74,000, according to a release from U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch in Kansas City.

Lanora Michelle Driskill Spigarelli, 43, of Frontenac, admitted she embezzled $74,027 from her employer, Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The crime took place from January 2006 through September 2007 while Spigarelli was working as the church’s business manager. She placed stolen money in the U.S. mails when she used it to pay her personal bills, authorities said.

A sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 5. Spigarelli faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

“This has been a difficult and tragic time for the Sacred Heart Catholic Church community,” said Amy Pavlacka, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese in Wichita. “It is now important though to turn the page and support them in the next chapter of their history. The parish’s mission to teach, sanctify and serve remains and will continue regardless of this situation.”

Pavlacka said that the former parish priest, the Rev. Robert McElwee, requested and was granted a leave of absence by the diocese. The Rev. Robert Spencer is the new parish priest. Authorities noted from the beginning of the investigation that McElwee was not a suspect in the crime, and that Spigarelli acted alone.

“I don’t think that we’ve communicated at all that it’s interim,” Pavlacka said. “(Spencer) is the parish priest. He’s only been there three weeks, but he’s trying to learn the parish, the people and he’s excited to be doing so.”

Efforts to obtain comment from anyone associated with the church locally were unsuccessful Friday. About 400 families make up the Sacred Heart parish.

Pavlacka also said the diocese is working with Sacred Heart staff to train and implement suggested financial controls — such as dual signature checks and securing unused checks.

“We encourage all of our parishes to use all these financial controls,” she said. “Our finance office is working with that parish to make sure they understand the appropriate controls they need to have in place.”

Background

Investigators with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the FBI launched an investigation into the church’s finances in July 2008. The investigation produced 111 separate counts of alleged fraud that were lumped into a single federal mail-fraud charge, authorities have previously said.