Church employee's boyfriend accused of stealing over $16K from Rhode Island congregation
Quick Summary
- Stephen Gadbois, 31, is accused of stealing over $16,000 from St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Rhode Island.
- Gadbois faces two counts of larceny and was released on personal recognizance.
- Police report missing keys and evidence of prior knowledge of the church's storage locations.
A man identified as the boyfriend of a church administrator has been arrested for allegedly stealing around $16,000 in checks and cash from a Rhode Island congregation.
Stephen Gadbois, a 31-year-old resident of Lincoln, was recently arrested for allegedly stealing the money from St. Luke's Episcopal Church of East Greenwich.
Gadbois faces two counts of larceny, reports the Providence-based WJAR News 10. He was released on personal recognizance and is expected to return to court next Monday.
Last August, the parish administrator called police after discovering that between $16,000 and $17,000 in checks and $300 to $400 in cash had been taken.
The church's cash and checks were initially stored in three locked money bags, kept in a locked file cabinet in an office that was also locked.
“Keys to both the file cabinet and money bags, normally kept in an unlocked key box nearby, were also missing,” said the police report, as quoted by WPRI of Providence.
“The theft appeared targeted, with no signs of forced entry, suggesting prior knowledge of the storage location and keys.”
The administrator said that she went to the church with Gadbois, whom she said was her boyfriend, and witnessed him go to the treasurer’s office, where the missing funds had been kept.
She told authorities that Gadbois knew where the funds were stored.
Shortly after the funds went missing, according to the report, Navigant Credit Union confirmed that Gadbois deposited a $10,019 check payable to St. Luke’s Church into a personal account.
While Gadbois told investigators that the check was given to him by the church treasurer as a gift, the treasurer denied it and told police that the check was among the missing donations.
According to a 2017 study by Lifeway Research, nearly one out of 10 surveyed Protestant pastors said that their church had witnessed someone embezzle funds.
Congregations with 250 or more members were slightly more likely to report witnessing embezzlement than smaller churches.
"Churches run on trust — but they also know people are imperfect and can be tempted," said Lifeway Executive Director Scott McConnell. "That's why safeguarding a church's finances is an important part of ministry."
