Roman Catholic priest in California suspended after being caught holding the bag--of collection money

...and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23b

As reported by Maggie Angst of the San Jose Mercury News, July 22, 2019 (updated July 23, 2019):

A Bay Area priest has been suspended for allegedly stealing more than $95,000 from parishes he served over the past several years, the Diocese of Santa Rosa announced Monday.

Father Oscar Diaz, 56, was ordained by the Diocese in July 1994 and served as a priest at Saint Mary Parish in Lakeport, Our Lady Queen of Peace in Clearlake and most recently, Resurrection Parish in Santa Rosa.

On June 19, Diaz was involved in a car crash, suffering a fractured hip.

First responders discovered bags inside Diaz’s vehicle containing stolen Resurrection Parish collections totaling more than $18,000, which Diaz allegedly described as his salary, according to a statement from the Diocese.

Police officers were alerted to the situation later that evening by a hospital employee who was uncomfortable with the amount of cash Diaz brought with him into the emergency room.

Less than a week after the crash, Diaz allegedly called Resurrection Parish staff to report that he had more collection bags in his office.

Upon further investigation, staff discovered more than 10 collection bags full of cash in his office and home that showed “systematic theft at Resurrection Parish from September 2018 through June 2019,” Bishop Robert Vasa said in a statement.

“There is also documentary evidence that theft, over the course of many years, included an undeterminable number of checks made out to parishes and deposited to Father Oscar’s personal account,” Vasa said in the statement.

The diocese said officials uncovered evidence that Diaz stole an additional $77,000 in cash from other parishes where he previously served.

“I am deeply grieved that this has happened and am deeply saddened that the parishes he was sent to serve have been harmed,” Vasa said in the statement.

Diaz allegedly admitted to Vasa that he had taken the collection bags and had been doing so for an extended amount of time, according to the statement.

Efforts to reach Diaz were unsuccessful Monday.

Although Vasa asked the police to investigate the matter for “possible criminal prosecution”, they determined that “the protocols surrounding collection accounting would make it difficult to arrive at sufficient proof of theft to pursue criminal prosecution,” the statement said.

Police advised that the diocese to hire a certified fraud examiner to help put together a report for possible prosecution, but the diocese has opted not to do so.

“While I am willing to have Father Oscar face prosecution I do not know that I want to expend additional money for a prosecution which brings no additional benefit to either the Diocese or the parishes which are victims of his crimes,” Vasa said in the statement.

Diaz was suspended from his role as priest in Santa Rosa and his future for ministry in the church is “uncertain,” the statement said.

“Unfortunately, given the length of time over which theft occurred, the variety of methods and the total dollars involved, I cannot envision any possible future ministry,” Vasa wrote in the statement.