KC Reporter

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A retired priest in Jefferson City, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to sending his sister a $100,000 check stolen from a Wardsville, Mo., church and admitted to writing himself a $200,000 check from the church account.

The Rev. Ignazio C. Medina, 72, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr., to a federal information that charges him with transporting stolen property across state lines.

Medina, a Catholic priest, was pastor at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Wardsville, Mo., from 2013 to 2021. Financial irregularities arose at St. Stanislaus in 2018 when the diocese discovered an unreported bank account on the parish’s budget or annual report. Medina was asked to include this bank account in the parish’s annual report, and in 2020 he reported an account balance of about $358,000.

After Medina was transferred to a different parish in 2021, it was discovered that he had emptied that bank account. On June 10, 2021, Medina wrote a $100,000 check to his sister in Tucson, Arizona. The next day, he wrote a $200,000 check payable to himself. Some expenditures from the account appeared to be church-related.

When confronted, Medina claimed the bank account was funded by donations intended for his discretionary use rather than for the parish itself. Donors who contributed checks deposited into the bank account contradicted Medina’s statement. Several individuals told investigators their checks were intended for parish purposes and they never authorized any other use of the funds.

Medina also claimed he was refunding donations and that his sister in Tucson was one of the donors. However, his sister was not a source of donations and told investigators that Medina said the money sent was for caring for their ailing mother.

Under federal statutes, Medina is subject to up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes; sentencing will be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Kummerer and investigated by the FBI.