On a Wing and a Prayer – Catholic Archdiocese Comptroller Bets Against the IRS and Loses

The comptroller of the Catholic Archdiocese of Steubenville in Ohio was sentenced to one year plus a day in prison for failing to pay taxes withheld from employees, filing false tax returns and embezzling $299,500.

 

From 2004 to 2016, David Franklin had payroll taxes withheld from employees of the Diocese and the Office of Social Ministry that he never paid over to the IRS. From 2013 to 2016 he did the same thing at the Mount Calvary Cemetery Association. The entities later had to pay the IRS more than 2.7 million dollars in withheld payroll taxes and the employer portion of employment taxes, and one million dollars in interest and penalties.

 

Franklin embezzled the nearly $300,000 by writing fraudulent checks to himself. For four tax years he filed false tax returns causing tax losses of more than $33,000.

 

In addition to the prison sentence, Franklin has been ordered to pay 1.3 million dollars in restitution to the Diocese of Steubenville, the Office of Social Ministry, the Mount Calvary Cemetery Association and the IRS, and has been ordered to forfeit the $299,500 he embezzled.

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