A Canonsburg priest is facing hundreds of felony charges for theft of parish funds.
Father George Athanasiou with All Saints Greek Orthodox Church was arrested Wednesday on charges including theft by unlawful taking, forgery and bad checks.
North Strabane Police say the 42-year-old embezzled more than $117,000 from the church's bank account.
Church leaders noticed discrepancies in their ledgers and missing bank checks and called police.
Detectives say Athanasiou made nearly 220 unauthorized ATM withdrawals in 2022 and 2023.
Police say he admitted to stealing the money due to “personal hardships.”
Athanasiou has been suspended from the ministry without pay and has a preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 18