Pastor admits to stealing from parish, buying condo
ONEIDA COUNTY -- According to the Syracuse Diocese a former pastor stole tens of thousands of dollars from his Oneida County parish. Father Valentine Krul plead guilty today of stealing $87,000 dollars. He is the former pastor of the Church of the Sacred Heart and St. Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa in New York Mills, and according to reports a chaplain of the Oneida County Sheriff's Department for more than 20 years
In a statement, the Syracuse Diocese says it conducted an internal investigation of Father Krul then turned its findings over to the Oneida County District Attorney's office.
According to WKTV, Krul admitted in court this morning to taking money from three church bank accounts at First Source Federal Credit Union between October 2008 and January 2011. Krul admitted to making a withdrawal of over $46,000 for a condominium in Florida.
According to the diocese, Krul will make restitution to the parish as part of his plea deal and is also expected to be sentenced to serve prison time. Krul asked to begin serving his 6 month sentence immediately.
In the statement, Bishop Robert J. Cunningham says, "We accept the judgment that has been made in this case and will continue to pray for Father Krul and the people in New York Mills who have been both supportive and cooperative."
