Kansas Priest Admits Stealing Over $159,000 From Parish
Full restitution has been paid and probation was recommended. Archbishop McKnight expressed deep sadness and asked the faithful to pray for those harmed.
The Rev. Richard Storey, former pastor of Curé of Ars Catholic Church in Leawood, Kansas, pleaded guilty on October 27, 2026, to a severity-level 7, non-person, non-drug felony theft charge in Johnson County District Court.
As part of the plea agreement, Storey paid full restitution of more than $159,000 to the parish for unauthorized transactions. Prosecutors recommended probation, with sentencing scheduled for January 11, 2027. The agreement also requires a substance-abuse evaluation. The theft had originally been charged as exceeding $100,000.
Five Years of Unauthorized Spending
The unauthorized transactions took place between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025. Roughly $77,025 went to cruises, including one trip that featured a $23,904 casino cash withdrawal. Other spending covered international and domestic travel, retail purchases, prescriptions, and additional personal expenses.
Storey resigned from the parish in September 2025 amid a separate criminal investigation and was later suspended from ministry. The criminal case now moves to sentencing early next year under the terms of the plea.
Archdiocese Response and Canonical Process
The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced the plea in a Tuesday statement and expressed Archbishop Shawn McKnight’s deep sadness. The archbishop asked the faithful to pray for those impacted by the breach of trust.
The archdiocese has initiated a preliminary canonical investigation into the financial allegations and into a separate allegation involving an adult victim. In July it retained an independent firm to review financial processes at the parish and related structures. The Johnson County District Attorney’s office confirmed that no charges will be filed in the separate adult-victim case.
Priests are entrusted with the careful stewardship of the Church’s temporal goods for the good of the faithful. The guilty plea, full restitution, and ongoing canonical inquiry mark both civil accountability and the Church’s duty to protect the trust placed in her ministers and to care for all who have been harmed.