San Jose Priest Imprisoned For Stealing $1.4 Million In Donations « CBS San Francisco

A Roman Catholic priest from San Jose who was convicted earlier this year of bank fraud for diverting parishioners’ donations into his personal bank account was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Hien Minh Nguyen, 57, who once ran the Vietnamese Catholic Center for the Diocese of San Jose, was found guilty in March of 14 counts of bank fraud by U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman after a non-jury trial.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nguyen stole cash donations from parishioners, signed checks drawn on the Vietnamese Catholic Center’s bank accounts to pay his personal expenses, and deposited checks made payable to the center into his personal bank account.

In all, Nguyen stole at least $1.4 million from the diocese between 2005 and 2011, prosecutors said.

San Jose Priest Imprisoned For Stealing $1.4 Million In Donations « CBS San Francisco