A Frontenac woman pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said Lanora Michelle Driskill Spigarelli, 43, Frontenac, admitted in her plea that she embezzled $74,027 from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 100 S. Cherokee in Frontenac. The crime occurred from January 2006 through September 2007 while Spigarelli was working as the church’s pastoral associate and business manager. According to the plea, she placed stolen money in the U.S. Mail, sending payments for her own bills to credit card companies and businesses rather than church bills.
Amy Pavlacka, director of the office of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, released a statement on the plea.
“This has been a difficult and tragic time for the Sacred Heart Catholic Church community,” Pavlacka said. “It is now important though to turn the page and support them in the next chapter of their history. The parish’s mission to teach, sanctify, and serve remains and will continue regardless of this situation.”
Spigarelli appeared in United States District Court in Wichita about a month ago for her first appearance, where her charges were read and she was informed of her rights. The next step would have been either a preliminary hearing or a grand jury.
According to Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton, the investigation, which included the sheriff's office, FBI and KBI, revealed 111 separate counts of alleged fraud regarding the case, but all of the counts were lumped into one federal mail fraud charge.
Horton said the payments were to "her and her family." He also said Spigarelli has "always been the sole focus of the investigation, and she's the only one charged."
Sentencing is set for Oct. 5. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Welch is prosecuting.
Kevin Flaherty can be reached at kevin.flaherty@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 Ext. 134
