KNOXVILLE, TN – Constantine D. Christodoulou, the former treasurer of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Knoxville begins serving the first part of a 10-year sentence in a Knox County jail this month, following his guilty plea last week to stealing over $400,000 from the Church’s coffers, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen said that Christodoulou, 48, will serve one year in prison followed by nine years’ probation, and even that one year may be reduced based on any “jail credits” Christodoulou earns, according to Assistant District Attorney General Sean McDermott, the Sentinel reported.
Credits may be awarded for good behavior, educational courses, substance abuse classes and working around the jail, the Sentinel reported.
As TNH reported last March, the theft was revealed to parishioners by the Church’s presiding priest Rev. Anthony Stratis and the Parish Council in a March 15 letter to parishioners, which stated that: “the very idea of a fellow hardworking member of St. George involved in such a diabolically-based scheme brings each of us serious heartache, amidst other emotions.”
The letter also stated that “we have learned that Constantine Christodoulou, while he held the office of Treasurer, acting unilaterally and unbeknownst to us all, calculatingly managed to squeeze church funds away to address personal interests. There is no indication that anyone else was involved; he acted unilaterally and whittled away at the Church treasury at a slow, deliberate rate, on a continual basis throughout his four-year term, and funneled church funds to personal accounts while covering up his deeds.
“Constantine has admitted to his mishandling of up to $360,000 all for personal use. An external audit will be done to determine, among other findings, the actual amount that was siphoned over the course of his four years (2011-2014) as Treasurer…When irregularities appeared, rationalizations were given; when questions arose, a spirit of trust prevented more intense inquiry. Until finally, too many alarms indicated unquestionably that a breach had occurred.
“It is certainly difficult to ask a community of hard-working, dedicated, and faithful members to turn around and start all over again because of the actions of one individual. However, we should remind ourselves that the need is here; it is time to address that need. We should also remember that each one of us thirsts for God’s great mercy, therefore we must be merciful ourselves.”
Christodoulou’s probation means officials will have legal control over him to be sure he repays the embezzled money.
As the Sentinel reports, “the theft left the Church with less than $2,000 in its bank accounts, prompting Church leaders to approve obtaining a $150,000 loan to stabilize finances. The low cash balance also delayed a decision to install a fire alarm system that had been reviewed and approved by the church, Stratis said.”
At 6:50AM last April 12 Greek Orthodox Easter, “a passerby reported flames in the sanctuary. By then, flames already had damaged the ornate dome in the sanctuary and raced through the structure.
Knoxville fire investigators eventually settled upon candles used in the night service that ended early in the morning April 12 as the probable cause of the fire. Someone had tossed a candle in a trash can and didn’t douse it in the tray of sand at the rear of the sanctuary, investigators said.”
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