Diocese of Bridgeport officials said yesterday the FBI and U.S. attorney's office first flagged a Greenwich pastor's "hidden" bank account, a discovery that led to the Rev. Michael Moynihan's resignation last week from St. Michael the Archangel [very wealthy] Roman Catholic Church.
Bishop William Lori, who oversees the Bridgeport Diocese's 87 parishes, informed the congregation of the situation over the weekend.
According to Lori, Moynihan's record of financial mismanagement goes back further than revelations of hidden accounts.
(Snip)Moynihan is accused of keeping at least two accounts hidden from the diocese and St. Michael finance council.
One account includes $500,000 in spending that Moynihan hasn't documented or fully explained. Diocese officials say they're trying to determine how much money was lodged in a second hidden account, and are investigating a third off-the-books account.
Along with diocese officials, a private accounting firm and Moynihan, the church's two-member parish council has assisted with the investigation that was launched last summer, studying accounts and the pastor's explanations of how parish funds have been spent.
One member of that council, 62-year-old Martin Maloney, a Greenwich resident and St. Michael parishioner for 20 years, said he believes Moynihan will be able to show that he spent all of the $1.4 million on the parish.
