KC Catholic Diocese staffer hailed as philanthropic ‘star’ accused of stealing $155K
Federal prosecutors have accused a former high-level employee of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph of stealing more than $150,000 in funds designated for financial assistance.
A federal grand jury indicted Jeremy Lillig, 44, on one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Kansas City on Oct. 28.
During an initial court appearance Tuesday, Lillig pleaded not guilty to the charge, and a trial was set for March, according to court records.
Both Lillig and his attorney, Sean Pickett, did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Charging documents said Lillig had worked both as the director of stewardship for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph and as the executive director of the Bright Futures Fund, the nonprofit organization within the diocese that provides tuition assistance for students attending diocesan schools.
Lillig is no longer employed in either of those roles. In an email to The Star, diocese spokeswoman Ashlie Hand said Lillig has not held any position with the diocese since October 2023.
Prosecutors said after the Kauffman Foundation provided a grant to the Bright Futures Fund in 2017 for “emergency expenses and assistance,” the diocese issued Lillig a credit card to purchase gift cards using the grant funds.
From 2017 to 2021, court documents said, Lillig allegedly defrauded the church by purchasing Visa gift cards using the credit card “under the pretense that it was for legitimate purposes.” The indictment alleged Lillig then used the gift cards for his own benefit and for the benefit of others who were not listed in fraudulent, monthly expense reports he was filing to disguise the purchases.
Charging documents alleged Lillig fraudulently activated 436 Visa gift cards worth about $155,000 over the five years.
The lone wire fraud charge accuses Lillig of fraudulently acquiring a gift card worth $500 in November 2020. It’s unclear why Lillig was only charged related to that specific instance.
Diocese response
In a letter on Wednesday, Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. wrote that the church became aware of Lillig’s potentially criminal activity shortly after he left his position in 2023 and said the diocese promptly reported the activity to law enforcement. The activity related to Lillig’s work running the Bright Futures Fund, Johnston wrote.
“This news is, I’m sure, unsettling to many within our diocesan family, and, like you, I was shocked to learn of such a gross violation of the trust and integrity that is essential to any institution, especially one upheld by Catholic teachings,” he wrote.
The $155,000 figure was within a range covered by insurance, and FBI investigators found that no individual donor funds were diverted before they were deposited into the Bright Futures Fund, Johnston wrote.
He said the fund has existed as a separate nonprofit organization since 2012, when it was created from a previous fund that was established in 1995.
“As the organization has grown, the transactions have become more diverse and material in order to assist the three Bright Futures schools, their students and families,” he wrote. “Therefore, effective December 2023, I instructed that the Bright Futures Fund be governed by standard diocesan policy as it relates to the management of funds.”
Johnston wrote that the Bright Futures Fund was brought into the diocesan accounting system and was under the regular oversight of its finance office. The diocese also bolstered its regimen of annual financial audits of the fund, he said, noting they are conducted by the outside firm RSM.
Named as a ‘Rising Star of Philanthropy’
A decade ago, The Independent magazine in Kansas City hailed Lillig as part of its 2015 class of “Rising Stars of Philanthropy,” as it celebrated both his personal and professional work in the community.
Along with his work raising money for students, he served in leadership positions in the community, and painted and donated artwork for charity auctions, the magazine said. A play he wrote based on interviews with more than 200 homeless residents of Kansas City raised more than $2 million for organizations that help homeless people, the magazine said.
“The more we can use our gifts, whatever they may be, to help those in need and to give them dignity, the more fruitful and productive our society will be,” he was quoted as saying by the magazine. “Whether it is serving food to the hungry, creating art for an auction or helping students receive an education, I feel the most alive when I am part of a community.”
A 2016 headline published by the Kansas City diocese’s Catholic Key magazine declared, “New Stewardship and Development Director Brims with Ideas,” as Lillig took on the fundraising job in the diocese.
“It won’t be easy,” Lillig said to the magazine of his work. “But, I don’t back down from challenges. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it! It may take some hard decisions, but my goal is to bring back the value and spirit of this diocese through transparency, confidence and sacrificial giving.”
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 5:29 PM.
