A Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas faces a felony theft charge after an internal audit revealed he allegedly spent nearly $160,000 in parish funds on cruises, casino withdrawals, overseas travel, and personal expenses over a four-year period.

Fr. Richard Storey, who served as pastor of Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, Kansas for roughly a decade, resigned on September 17, 2025, after being notified of a criminal investigation. A financial audit covering the years 2021 through 2025 was initiated following standard archdiocesan protocol when pastoral leadership changes — and it produced findings that prompted archdiocesan authorities to contact law enforcement.

What the Audit Found

According to a criminal affidavit, Storey used both a parish credit card and a separate fund — the checkbook for which he personally controlled — to make a wide range of unauthorized purchases. The affidavit states directly that “Father Storey personally wrote checks on the fund and was in possession of the [redacted] checkbook.”

The breakdown of alleged unauthorized spending is detailed. Cruise vacation charges on the parish credit card totaled approximately $77,000. Casino cash withdrawals came to nearly $24,000. Travel to London, Paris, Dublin, and New York accounted for roughly $27,000. Unauthorized pharmacy, medical, dental, and eyewear expenses exceeded $11,000, and retail purchases at stores including Nordstrom Rack and Jos. A. Bank added nearly $6,000 more.

The affidavit also flagged more than $30,000 in unauthorized “donations” made to church fundraising efforts. Investigators concluded these transfers served to obscure the overall pattern of misuse rather than represent genuine charitable giving, noting that such transactions “artificially inflated the reported fundraising totals without generating any new external funds.”

A Capital Campaign Under Scrutiny

The timing raises additional questions. During his final year as pastor, Storey launched a $12 million capital campaign — called the “Cultivating through Christ Capital Campaign” — intended to replace the church’s roof and refurnish its interior. The archdiocese approved the campaign in late January 2025, and it has raised more than $6.4 million to date. The campaign remains ongoing.

The overlap between the alleged financial misconduct and the active fundraising campaign is likely to draw scrutiny from parishioners and donors. Curé of Ars Parish has said it intends to file an insurance claim in an effort to recover its losses.

Criminal Charges and Canonical Process

The theft charge against Storey falls into a level-five felony classification under Kansas law, triggered by the alleged amount exceeding $100,000. A conviction could carry a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. As of the time of reporting, Prairie Village police had not yet formally filed charges.

A separate, unrelated criminal matter is also connected to Storey. The Prairie Village Police Department notified him of an investigation involving allegations related to one adult, with the alleged offense reportedly occurring between March 12, 2022, and November 11, 2022, and reported to authorities on September 9, 2025. No charges have been filed in that matter either.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas confirmed it is conducting an internal canonical process while cooperating fully with civil law enforcement. Under canon law, a bishop is obligated to investigate credible allegations against a cleric and to take appropriate measures to protect the faithful — including removal from a pastoral assignment, which occurred here upon Storey’s resignation.

Protecting Parish Trust

Cases of financial misconduct by clergy inflict a dual harm: material loss to the parish community and damage to the trust that sustains the Church’s mission. The Catechism teaches that those entrusted with the goods of others are bound by justice and the virtue of stewardship, obligations that weigh with particular gravity on those in holy orders.

The archdiocese’s decision to conduct a financial audit upon a change in pastoral leadership — and to refer findings to police — reflects the kind of institutional accountability that Church governance requires. Parishioners of Curé of Ars, who contributed in good faith to both ordinary parish operations and the capital campaign, now await the outcome of both the criminal process and the insurance recovery effort.

Category: Bishops