Police say a Roman Catholic priest has
confessed to stealing $1.3 million from his parish because he
resented the church's stance on being gay, local CBS affiliate WFSB
reported.
The Rev. Kevin Gray was charged Tuesday
in Waterbury, Connecticut Superior Court with first-degree larceny
and was ordered held in lieu of $75,000 bond. He is accused of
funneling church funds to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that
included supporting three men in New York City.
Gray, 64, began stealing money from his
parishioners in 2003. Police say he used the money to lead a
decadent double life that included more than $130,000 on upscale
hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria. He also spent the money on
trendy restaurants, designer suits and male escorts.
He pocketed more than $221,000 from a
side deal he struck with a wireless carrier to install a transmitter
in his church's steeple, a practice banned by the diocese.
Court documents also reveal Gray was
subsidizing the expenses of three gay men, including tuition to
Harvard and rent in New York City for a man he met in Central Park.
Gray was collared by police living in
that York Avenue apartment with 35-year-old Weirui Zhong after he
left Connecticut on medical leave in April.
He told police that he stole from the
church because he resented its opposition to being gay.
According to the warrant, Gray said he
began stealing from the church “because felt that the church owed
it to him.”