------------------------------ *Reverend Joseph Hughes sentenced* *for stealing over $2 million* ** BY LAYLI WHYTE Staff Writer June 8, 2006 The Reverend Joseph Hughes, former *pastor of Holy Cross Church* in Rumson, *was sentenced to five years in prison* on Friday and* ordered to repay the $2 million he was convicted of siphoning from church funds.*
Hughes, 62, will serve his sentence at a minimum security prison and *will be eligible for parole in six months*, according to the sentence imposed by state Superior Court Judge Bette E. Uhrmacher. *Reverend Hughes pleaded guilty* in state Superior Court, Freehold, *on May 4 to three counts of the 27-count indictment* brought by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, *including the charge of theft by deception, filing fraudulent tax returns, and failure to pay state income tax. * The balance of the indictment was dismissed by the Prosecutor's Office. Hughes spoke on his own behalf at the June 2 sentencing, expressing regret for his actions. "I betrayed the trust of people, the trust they placed in me," he said, "and I am truly sorry. I am sorry for the hurt I caused my family, my friends, and most especially the people of Holy Cross who I love." *Reverend Hughes came to Holy Cross in 1988,* after working as the principal of Notre Dame High School in Mercer County since 1974. *Hughes was arrested in November 2004 after* *an audit of church finances revealed irregularities in several bank accounts held in the name of the church.* The audit was conducted by the Diocese of Trenton in connection with a construction project to expand Holy Cross Church, which had been spearheaded by Hughes. The proposal to expand Holy Cross Church was a controversial one and had put Hughes, pastor at Holy Cross since 1988, at odds with some members of the parish. "The comprehensive audit," according to a press release from the Prosecutor's Office distributed shortly after the sentence was handed down by Uhrmacher, "revealed that during the eight years covered in the indictment, Hughes wrote out and endorsed nearly a half a million dollars in checks made payable to 'cash' against five church bank accounts. Hughes additionally wrote $1.4 million in checks against Holy Cross Church accounts to cover unauthorized personal expenses," the release said. "Neither Holy Cross Church nor its parishioners received any benefit from these unauthorized expenditures." At the time Hughes was arrested, it was thought that he misappropriated $2.1 million. Since then, according to Assistant Prosecutor John F. Loughrey, Hughes was given credit for money that was proven to have been given in charity, *leaving a total of $2,032,422 that was misappropriated* between Jan. 1, 1997, and November 2004. Although Hughes did not admit to misappropriating that much, he did plead guilty to the charge. The two tax-related charges are third-degree crimes, for each of which Hughes was sentenced to three-year jail terms, each to run concurrent with the five-year sentence for theft. Hughes will become eligible for the Intensive Supervision Program, a parole program, after serving six months of his sentence. There is no indication at which prison Hughes will serve his term, but Uhrmacher said it would be minimum-security. Pappa said Hughes, after his prison sentence is served, will have to get a job, and that he believes Hughes' wages may be garnished. Uhrmacher said that although she understands that Hughes has supporters among his parishioners, she also received letters from parishioners expressing their belief that Hughes should serve jail time for his crimes. "It makes this even sadder that this is now a divided congregation," she said. The count of theft is a second-degree crime that carries with it a presumption of jail time, although Pappa said at the Friday sentencing that there were mitigating circumstances that should have kept Hughes out of jail. Pappa said that Hughes' health is failing and that he was hospitalized in 2003 for cellulitis, and has not been well since. "He suffers from diabetes," Pappa said, "congestive heart failure, obesity and circulatory problems* *in his legs caused by his diabetes. He is on seven different heart and blood pressure medications, and has limited cardiovascular functions. These are chronic conditions." Pappa also explained that canon law, the laws that govern the Catholic Church, allows for church pastors to have "absolute discretion on how church funds are spent." He summarized information provided to him by Father David Fulton, an expert in canon law. "A murkiness exists because there are no set standards," Pappa said, "and canon law allows for pastors to give money in charity, to parishioners in time of need and have some money to self-entitlement." He explained that Hughes had given much of the unaccounted for funds to others in need, such as David Rogers and his family. Rogers, had been employed as the operations supervisor by the church and was paid a salary of $50,000 annually. During the time Rogers worked at the church, Hughes purchased him a home in Howell and was making regular mortgage payments on that property. Upon Hughes' arrest in November 2004, investigators found that he had also purchased a Porsche for Rogers, which was turned in at a later date for a 2004 BMW. According to the Prosecutor's Office, Hughes also paid for vacations for Rogers and his family, on which Hughes went along. Pappa said that Hughes met the Rogers family during a church conference in Florida. "They were in need," said Pappa, "and Father Hughes promised to help. Father Hughes gave assistance to the entire Rogers family." Pappa said that David Rogers was learning disabled and that he testified in front of a grand jury that he took advantage of the help offered by Hughes. "Father Hughes believed Rogers would become homeless and unemployed if he took away that help," said Pappa. "Father Hughes admits that this help was inappropriate, excessive and beyond what is acceptable under canon law." As far as offering assistance to parishioners in need, Pappa said Hughes would help any family that wanted their child to attend Holy Cross School by paying tuition if the family could not afford to do so. "Father Hughes' philosophy is that any child who wanted a Catholic education should be able to have a Catholic education," said Pappa. "He did not use generally accepted accounting principals in his work." Pappa said that Hughes would often take money from the church's activities account and put it into the school's account to help cover tuition costs of some students. "He gave some parishioners as much as several hundred thousand dollars or more," said Pappa. Hughes said that he has always been generous and willing to give of what he had to people in need. "I've always given," he said, "as a part of my nature. I've given too much for years." Hughes also said that the stress of dealing with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York on Sept. 11, 2001, took a toll on him emotionally. "A way of dealing with that stress was to give and to give," he said. "I ask terribly for forgiveness. I can't tell you how regretful I am." Hughes, according to Pappa, was permitted to support himself using what canon law describes as self-entitlement money. "Father Hughes acknowledges that he treated himself very well with nice dinners and Broadway shows," said Pappa. "Father Hughes' 60th birthday party held at a country club cost $25,000, but this was to thank the parishioners for their contributing a significant amount of money to the church expansion project." In addition to the special events hosted by Hughes, there were also day-to-day expenses Pappa said Hughes was entitled to. "Father Hughes did not have a cook," said Pappa, "therefore he was entitled to go out to eat." Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said at a press conference after the sentencing that if this case had gone to trial, his office would have argued that canon law would not be applicable to this case. "Our evidence in this case and our legal research," he said, "finds no canon law to defend what crimes were committed by Father Hughes. We would have submitted legal briefs that this should have not been considered." According to Loughrey, forensic accountants in the Prosecutor's Office could not find proof that Hughes had given any substantial amount of the $2 million to help families or individuals in need. "We can see check by check by check," said Loughrey, "what Father Hughes spent, what he spent it on and who he spent it on." Loughrey said that the statements for an account in the name of Holy Cross Church at Merrill Lynch for the period of a few months in 1998 showed three stays at various Marriott hotels in both New Jersey and Florida, one stay at the Waldorf Astoria Hilton in New York City, as well as airline tickets purchased through Continental Airlines and *t*ransportation by Arrow Limousine. "We went to Arrow Limousine Service," said Loughrey, "and they confirmed that Father Hughes spent a little over $50,000 for trips back and forth to New York City, to airports, restaurants and Broadway shows." Those trips spanned the eight years covered in the indictment, according to Loughrey. He also said that the church bookkeeper told investigators that Hughes would count the Sunday Mass collection money privately, counting only the large bills, and depositing the money himself on Mondays and Tuesdays. "That's circumstantial," said Loughrey, "but a pastor is not supposed to count the collection money from Sunday. He didn't think it was necessary [to have someone else count the money] because he wanted to have control over everything." Loughrey said that although he did not dispute Pappa's claims that Hughes was a good priest, a claim which was supported by letters from parishioners, he believed jail time was appropriate. "This fall from grace for him is stark and bitter and devastating," said Loughrey, "but he only has himself to blame." http://hub.gmnews.com/news/2006/0608/Front_Page/001.html ------------------------------ -- MARLENE VAN DOORN'S jusfiq hadjar (66 years old) is a human? we're not sure yet. 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