Boeke pleads guilty to $190,000 church theft

MINSTER - A local woman faces up to 36 months in prison after admitting to stealing $190,000 from two local Catholic churches where she formerly worked.

Jane Boeke, 57, of Minster, who had been director of religious education for nearly 19 years at St. Augustine in Minster and St. Joseph in Egypt, on Tuesday pleaded guilty in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court to two fourth-degree felony counts of theft.

Boeke had been originally indicted in May for stealing more than $150,000 from the parishes.

The theft charge at that time was a third-degree felony, but it was amended Tuesday to a lesser, fourth-degree felony. Auglaize County Prosecutor Ed Pierce said the charge had been amended to claim Boeke took $125,000 from the churches between Dec. 26, 2011, and June 25, 2013.   Pierce then presented Boeke with a bill of information theft charge Tuesday morning that states between Dec. 8, 2001, and Dec. 3, 2012, Boeke had taken an additional $52,000.

The additional charge, Pierce said, derived from investigations by a forensic accountant hired by the church and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification. The remaining $13,000 Boeke admitted to taking, Pierce said, came from theft from credit card and checking accounts.

Boeke told Judge Frederick Pepple she has agreed to repay the money with proceeds from the sale of her home on Main Street in Minster. Boeke said she owes $142,000 on the home. She deposited $20,000 with the court after the hearing as part of her restitution, court records show.

According to Pierce, in 2001 the church had taken out a VISA and Sam's Club credit cards in both Boeke's and the churches' names to be used solely for items for the parish, but Boeke used those cards to buy items for herself and others, Pierce said. He did not elaborate on what those items were.

Pierce said the thefts were discovered when new bookkeeping personnel took over in the parishes and discovered discrepancies in early 2013. The church brought in a forensic accountant along with the Minster Police Department. The investigation was then handed to BCI, Pierce said. Boeke was relieved of her duties in June 2013, soon after the money was discovered missing.

While no parish representatives were in court Tuesday, Dan Andriacco, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, said the church believes about $30,000 more was taken and said the church plans to sue Boeke if the money is not recovered through the criminal procedure.

Andriacco said he could not detail the additional missing money, but the $30,000 was determined by the church's investigator.

Pepple ordered a pre-sentence investigation and amended his previous order that Boeke report to the Minster Police Department daily to weekly. Pepple also ruled Boeke could remain free on a recognizance bond but her passport must remain in the court's custody. Sentencing has not been scheduled. Pepple said it could take place in a few months.

Pierce said after the hearing he could not comment on sentencing recommendations until he had read the pre-sentence investigation report. Pepple also told Boeke he - not the prosecution or the church - had the authority to sentence her to prison.

Pierce also told Pepple restitution for the forensics investigator hired by the church had not been discussed but may come up at a later date.

Andriacco said the church intends to have a representative in court for the sentencing. While most of the loss is covered by insurance, Andriacco said, the church is responsible for $10,000.

"We hope and expect justice to be done. When we go to court, we will trust the justice of the court," Andriacco said. "We take our stewardship very seriously and believe that the donations to the church should be used what it was intended for."