A Catholic priest from Pennsylvania, Rev. Lawrence Kozak, has been accused of using his church’s credit card to make approximately $40,000 in in-game purchases for Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour.
He was charged with theft and related crimes on April 25, but has since posted his $250,000 bail. Kozak had been removed from his church position in 2022 due to excessive transactions linked to his Apple ID, though he claims the transactions were not intentional.
Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour are designed to be addictive, enticing players to make in-game purchases to enhance their gameplay experience. Despite their popularity, these games can lead players to spend significant amounts of money.
In Kozak’s case, it is alleged that he managed to accumulate a $40,000 bill on the church’s credit card by purchasing “power-ups” in the games and making expensive gifts to his goddaughter. The priest’s use of the church’s credit card for these expenses led to his arrest on theft charges.
Following the posting of his bail, Kozak’s attorney is reviewing the charges and plans to contact prosecutors about the case. Kozak’s spending habits in online games were uncovered when an accountant found a large number of Apple transactions linked to his Apple ID on the church’s credit card statements.
This ultimately led to Kozak’s removal from his church position in 2022 and placed on administrative leave. During an interview with detectives, Kozak claimed he was seeking help for his spending habits and denied intentionally using the church’s credit card for his personal expenses.
It has also emerged that Kozak made a $10,000 payment towards the church’s credit card bill during his spending spree and a further $8,000 in “parish reimbursements” to his successor.
