US Priest Squanders $ 117,000 from Church Funds on Gambling Habit

A priest from the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Washington County, Pennsylvania, is accused of stealing $117,000 from the church and blowing it on gambling, according to the investigation. 

Father George Athanasiou, who worked as a Pastoral Assistant at the church for about 5 years, started stealing money from church funds in April 2022. He was arrested in November 2023 after a year-long spree of pilfering money to feed his gambling addiction.

He faces 223 counts of theft and forgery of payment documents.

The case was originally assigned to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. But it was later transferred to The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General because some of the staff there were members of his church.

It’s not yet clear where the priest gambled — online or in person. But he has confessed to his problem and agreed to get help. Father George’s lawyer admits the theft and expects that the stolen money will be paid back to the church.