UPDATED::Plea deal in works for Greek Orthodox priest charged with theft - Glenview Announcements

UPDATE:: Handling of priest's theft did real harm to Greek Orthodox Church

If you stole $100,000 from a church, a reasonable person would expect that you'd get some jail time for your crimes.

If a poor kid was charged with stealing a fraction of that much cash from a sandwich shop, chances are that jail would be waiting.

But a Wisconsin priest stealing from a church trust, a priest with a fondness for luxury goods and fine restaurants, a priest with a powerful ally in the Chicago Greek Orthodox church hierarchy?

Well, that's a different story, because that's no poor kid. That's a holy man with the robes to prove it.

And in this one, the priest walks and doesn't serve a day in jail.

It is the case of the Rev. James Dokos, the Greek Orthodox priest who pleaded guilty this week in Milwaukee County Circuit Court to a felony for embezzling more than $100,000 from the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee.

He paid the money back as restitution, and if he behaves himself and spends 40 hours doing community service, it'll all be dropped down to a misdemeanor, authorities said.

But there's more to it than that, because the Dokos saga leaves two great Greek Orthodox parishes ripped apart, Annunciation in Milwaukee, and Sts. Peter and Paul in Glenview.

See also::  Uncertainty for priest who stole funds; critics call for leadership change

UPDATE::  Former Milwaukee-area priest pleads guilty to theft charge 

James Dokos, a former Milwaukee-area priest accused of stealing from his church, entered a guilty plea to the theft charge on Monday, February 22nd.

Prosecutors and Dokos' attorney agreed to what is called a deferred judgment agreement. In other words, the court found Dokos guilty, but withheld entry of a judgment of conviction.

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A Greek Orthodox priest charged with stealing more than $110,000 from a church trust fund has reached a tentative plea deal with prosecutors, authorities said Wednesday.

The Rev. James Dokos, who lives in Chicago, is accused of taking the money from a $1.2 million fund he controlled at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee and spending it on himself, family members and other church officials.

The Milwaukee County district attorney's office charged Dokos with theft in 2014, two years after he had left Annunciation to become head of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Glenview.

The suggested plea deal will be brought before a judge Feb. 22, a day before Dokos' trial was due to start. Prosecutor David Robles said he could not discuss the deal's particulars, and Dokos declined to comment. The priest's attorneys did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Plea deal in works for Greek Orthodox priest charged with theft - Glenview Announcements