Rev Peter Miqueli was a pastor at St. Frances de Chantal in Throggs Neck in the Bronx.
The 53-year-old is accused of taking from the donation plate at St. Frances de Chantal and also stealing from his former church, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini on Roosevelt Island.
Miqueli resigned from his position on Saturday, just days after a lawsuit was filed against him in Manhattan Supreme Court by parishioners claiming that Miqueli would spend $1,000 at a time for
bondage sessions with a gay 'sex master' named Keith Crist.
The announcement was made at 5pm Mass at Miqueli's church in the Bronx, according to the New York Daily News.
'This is a good result for these people,' said attorney Michael Dowd, who represents the two parishes that filed the a lawsuit.Timothy Cardinal Dolan had already warned that Rev Miqueli might be forced to give up his collar.
'But they want their money back.'
He said of Miqueli:
'Obviously, his [career] will be over' if a church probe turns up evidence of anything illegal.The lawsuit also claims that the Archdiocese of New York and Cardinal Dolan knew about Miqueli's 'illegal scheme' and did nothing to stop it.
'I mean, if these allegations are true - they're awful, they're vicious, they're mean.
'We've got to get to the bottom of it. But right now, we've done our best looking into it and haven't found any fire.'
'This lawsuit seeks to finally put an end to this truly sinful conduct so that St. Frances de Chantal parish can regain the strength, spirituality and faith it once had before Father Miqueli arrived,' court papers say.
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| Crist |
The suit alleges that Crist was put in charge of the Cabrini thrift shop where he reportedly pilfered money and destroyed financial documents.
Miqueli allegedly also used the stolen cash for vacations in Italy and Florida.
The suit also alleges that maintenance workers at St. Frances de Chantal saw 'several unstacked piles of cash, each approximately one foot high, scattered throughout Father Miqueli's rectory residence ' during the summer of 2014.
Miqeuli's neighbors say that there are several male visitors who frequent the New Jersey home and that he invites the men to join him in his spacious hot tub.
Crist's on-and-off girlfriend Tatyana Gudin said that Crist once hurt his knees while having sex with Gudin in a bathtub. Gudin alerted church officials about the alleged relationship in May.
The lawsuit says a Bronx doctor provided Crist and Miqueli with illegal drugs. Miqueli also allegedly gave $60,000 to the doctor for the down payment on a house.
'I feel really bad for the parishioners,' Dowd said.- DailyMail
'We've done a lot of homework. This is a bad guy.'
Catholic Priest Accused of Using $1million Church Cash to Fund S&M Gay Love Affair Resigns
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