SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a Catholic priest has been found guilty of stealing from parishioners at a church in San Jose.
United States Attorney’s Office says Hien Minh Nguyen was convicted Tuesday on bank fraud charges. He pleaded guilty last year to tax evasion charges.
Prosecutors say evidence shows that while 57-year-old Nguyen was a priest at St. Patrick’s Church and director of the Vietnamese Catholic Center, he deposited 14 donation checks from parishioners totaling $19,000 into his personal bank account.
They say the donations were meant for the center, whose funds Nguyen also used to pay for personal expenses.
Nguyen faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
He is scheduled to be sentenced by a federal judge on June 30 in San Jose.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.