A quasi-godly thief bites the dust:

A Metro Detroit Catholic priest was sentenced Monday to 12 months in jail — to be served over five years — for stealing money from a charity for the poor. The Rev. Timothy Kane was convicted in October on embezzlement, conspiracy and other related charges for stealing about $131,000 from a charity fund through a scam using “straw” applicants to request $1,500 grants for the needy and then receiving kickbacks on some of the money paid out.

About 131 Angel Fund grants are suspected to have been fraudulently obtained in the scheme from August 2008 to July 2012. … The Angel Fund is supported by an anonymous donor family and operated by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Since 2005, it has provided more than $17 million in grants to needy individuals and families in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park, according to the archdiocese.

The judge went easy on the priest, giving him a jail term well below guidelines. Local media are even calling the sentence “unique.”

Kane’s jail sentence is to be served over a five-year period in June and December each year, with two extra months to be determined. Kane also must pay $131,400 in restitution and will be on probation for five years.

The prosecutor’s office, unhappy with the relatively light sentence, is considering an appeal. Kane believes that he shouldn’t serve time at all, saying he is guilty only of inattention and lack of “due diligence.”



