TROY, Mich. (AP) - Federal authorities are accusing a Detroit-area priest of fraud in the purchase of a condominium in Florida.
The government filed a lawsuit in Detroit federal court Monday to seize the Rev. Edward Belczak’s condo in Wellington. The FBI says the $110,000 down payment came from a bank account belonging to St. Thomas More parish in Troy.
The Associated Press left a message seeking Belczak’s current contact information from the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Belczak was removed from the church last year. He hasn’t been changed with a crime, but the request to take control of property means there’s a criminal investigation.
Belczak purchased the condo for $500,000 in 2005 from a church office manager. The FBI says the priest and office manager jointly held a bank account to make mortgage payments.
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