Father Kozak also allegedly used church funds to buy gifts for his goddess.
- A pastor in Pennsylvania spent more than 40,000 of his church’s money on in-app purchases
- He claims he mistakenly used the church’s credit card.
- He has since paid off some of the debt.
A Catholic priest in Pottstown, Pennsylvania is in hot water after spending more than $40,000 in church money on in-app purchases of mobile games. Father Lawrence Kozak was charged on April 23, 2024 with theft and other related crimes. He has since been released on $250,000 bail.
According to TThat Philadelphia Inquirer, Father Kozak’s spending spree took place over a three-year period. In 2022, an accountant at St. Thomas More Church found evidence of excessive transactions with the App Store.
The purchases began in September 2019, shortly after Father Kozak came to the church, and ended in July 2022. Kozak was forced to leave the church in November 2022 after an internal investigation linked Kozak to an Apple ID that made purchases.
Records also show that her Amazon account used the church’s credit card to purchase a child’s chemistry set, a backpack, and a fire tablet, which were shipped to a home in Bensalem, PA, where the pastor’s deity she lives. Accompanying the gifts was a note signed “Uncle Larry.”
At one point, Kozak used $10,000 of his own funds to pay off a St. Thomas More Church credit card bill. During a 2022 interview with detectives, the priest claimed he was trying to find counseling to help with his mobile game addiction. He also stated that he was not gambling but was spending money on power-up items to give him an edge in Mario Kart Tour, Candy Crush and other games.
Kozak also claims he knowingly did not use the church’s credit card for in-app purchases. Rather, he explains that the card was previously linked to his accounts and personal phone so he could pay church bills.
However, he said he may have mistakenly used a church credit card to make in-app purchases. Since being removed from St. Thomas, Father Kozak has sent a check for $8,000 to the new pastor and included a note promising to repay the church in full.