Former KC Catholic diocese staffer pleads guilty to stealing from church program
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- Jeremy Lillig pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud charge.
- Prosecutors say he activated 436 VISA gift cards worth $155,050 during the scheme.
- Lillig faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
A former high-level employee of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud related to his work for the church.
Jeremy Lillig was a director of stewardship for the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City and the executive director of the Bright Futures Fund, a nonprofit within the diocese. The plea agreement says that from 2018 to 2021, Lillig misused a credit card issued by the church to enrich himself.
Federal prosecutors indicted Lillig in October, alleging that he stole over $150,000 from church programs.
“Through the execution of this scheme and artifice to defraud, the defendant, LILLIG, from on or about 2017 and continuing until on or about March 2021, fraudulently obtained and activated 436 VISA gift cards worth $155,050,” the indictment says.
The plea agreement reasserts that Lillig engaged in a years-long scheme, but only includes details of one instance of Lillig defrauding the church of $500.
As the director of the Bright Futures Fund, Lillig was authorized to buy prepaid gift cards to distribute to families, students and schools that are enrolled in one of three Catholic schools within the Diocese.
Lillig covered up the scheme in expense reports he submitted to the church. The Diocese responded to the guilty plea in a statement on Wednesday.
“Our faith teaches us that God forgives us our trespasses as we forgive the trespasses of others, and so we must approach this news with merciful hearts,” the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph said in a statement. “However, forgiveness does not negate justice or right action in our world. We continue to pray for all parties involved in this situation.”
A sentence hearing hasn’t been scheduled, but Lillig is facing a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
Lilig was once an established figure in Kansas City’s philanthropic circles. In 2015, The Independent magazine in Kansas City named him one of the “Rising Stars of Philanthropy.”
