A Seymour Catholic priest was arrested Monday for allegedly stealing money that was meant to benefit his church.
Police would not reveal a dollar amount, but the Rev. Honore Kombo is charged with first-degree larceny, a felony. The charge means law enforcement believe the priest embezzled at least $20,000 from St. Augustine Church at 135 Washington Ave. in Seymour.
He posted a $10,000 bond and is due in Superior Court in Derby March 14.
According to a prepared statement released Tuesday from Seymour Deputy Chief Paul Satkowski, police began investigating Kombo in April after receiving a complaint from the Archdiocese of Hartford.
Police said a deceased St. Augustine parishioner left money to the church through four annuities.
However, there was a fifth annuity Kombo didn’t tell anyone about, police allege.
In May 2013 Kombo received a check for a “large sum of money” from the annuity, and deposited the money in a church bank account.
But he later withdrew a large amount and deposited into his personal bank account.
“It was also discovered there were several other checks written out to St. Augustine Church which were found to be deposited into the personal bank account belonging to Father Kombo,” Satkowski said in a prepared statement.
Police also believe the priest opened a line of credit in the church’s name in October 2013, then took funds from it and put them in his personal bank account.
“Father Kombo was cooperative with detectives throughout the entire investigation,” Satkowski noted.
The Archdiocese removed Kombo from his duties in Seymour last July. A letter cited “discrepancies in the church’s 2014 financial reports.”
That same letter, authored by church trustees, the parish office and the church’s finance council, said parish leaders “determined that this was a situation that we did not clearly understand, nor were we able to grasp the depth of what was happening.”
They contacted the Archdiocese, who brought in a forensic accountant.
Click here for a previous Valley Indy story.
St. Augustine opened in 1856. Kombo is the 13th pastor in its history.
