CNA Staff, Oct 18, 2025 / 14:15 pm

Officials in New Jersey have charged a former parish financial director with the theft of more than half a million dollars in church funds.

Joseph Manzi has been charged with second-degree theft by unlawful taking after he allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. Leo the Great Parish in Lincroft.

Manzi was the subject of an August lawsuit by the parish in which he was alleged to have “systematically, secretly, and dishonestly utilized parish funds for his own personal benefit.” The civil suit claimed he had stolen upwards of $1.5 million.

In an Oct. 17 press releas e, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin's office said Manzi had been officially criminally charged with the theft. Platkin in the release said Manzi used the fun

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