Former Milwaukee pastor embezzled $33K+ from church: complaint

MILWAUKEE - A former Milwaukee pastor is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the church he served.

Mauricio Fernandez-Boscan, 42, is charged with three felony counts of embezzlement. Prosecutors said he used the St. Adalbert Parish credit card to make personal purchases that totaled more than $33,000 from 2018 to 2022.

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The backstory:

A criminal complaint said Fernandez-Boscan served as a church administrator who oversaw all financial matters for the parish and school. Investigators said they found he used funds to pay personal bills, take trips to Mexico and Italy, make payments to a law firm and more.

The parish said Fernandez-Boscan did not have consent to use the parish funds to pay for personal matters, according to the complaint. Prosecutors said he was placed on leave in April 2022 when concerns were raised about excessive purchases.

Mauricio Fernandez-Boscan (2018)

What they're saying:

FOX6 News reached out to St. Adalbert for comment and was referred to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, who said in a statement, in part:

"The Archdiocese of Milwaukee conducted an audit and reported our findings to police, in keeping with the process we have in place for situations like this. Father is restricted from ministry while the case is pending."

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FOX6 News reached out to his attorney for comment, but did not hear back by the deadline for this story.

What's next:

Fernandez-Boscan is due back in court for a plea hearing next month.