Former Milwaukee pastor embezzled $33K+ from church, gets probation

MILWAUKEE - A former Milwaukee pastor pleaded guilty to stealing money from the church he served and was sentenced to probation on Friday.   

In Court:

Prosecutors said 42-year-old Mauricio Fernandez-Boscan 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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Court records show Fernandez-Boscan pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts. He was not ordered to pay restitution, but he was ordered to write a letter of apology to the church and complete 100 hours of community service. 

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.

Mauricio Fernandez-Boscan (2018)

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.

What they're saying:

FOX6 News reached out to St. Adalbert for comment when charges were filed 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."