A Catholic priest in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is said to have spent more than $40,000 (over €37,000) of church funds on microtransactions in mobile games over a period of three years, including Candy Crush.
What’s going on? On April 25, 2024, Reverend Lawrence Kozak
was arrested under a warrant for theft and related offenses, according to an affidavit. According to the indictment from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, Reverend Lawrence Kozak spent over $40,000 of church funds over three years (via The Philadelphia Inquirer).
After posting bail of $250,000, he was released. His attorney is currently reviewing the charges and plans to contact the prosecution.
Church funds spent on Candy Crush
and Mario Kart Tour
How did the church notice? The allegations stem from a discovery made by an accountant from St. Thomas More Church in Pottstown, who reviewed the church’s finances in 2022 and came across astronomical amounts of Apple transactions
.
The purchases reportedly began in 2019 – shortly after Kozak joined the congregation. The Apple ID used to purchase content in games like Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour is said to belong to Kozak (via Kotaku).
Also for gifts to his goddaughter
Investigators found that an Amazon account linked to the priest also used the church’s credit card to purchase gifts for Kozak’s goddaughter. The gifts included a note signed by Uncle Larry
.
Further financial records showed that Kozak had used his personal bank account to pay off $10,000 of the credit card balance.
Priest says: He is addicted
What does Kozak say about it? When questioned by investigators in 2022, Kozak stated that he was seeking counseling due to his gaming addiction and spending money on online games.
He said that the money was not spent on gambling
, but to gain an advantage in the games he played.
He denied intentionally using the credit cards for these purchases, stating that the cards were already linked to his phone. He said he had paid for church-authorized streaming services and Microsoft Office software with them. Kozak also mentioned that it was possible he had accidentally used the cards – as he is not a details person
.
German contacts for gaming addiction
Consultation for video game and internet addiction
Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain
Landsberger Allee 49
10249 Berlin
Tel.: 030 130 238 011
E-Mail: [email protected]
Lost in Space
Wartenburgstraße 8
10963 Berlin-Kreuzberg
Tel.: 030 666 339 59
E-Mail: [email protected]
Consultation for gambling addiction
Untere Zahlbacher Straße 8
55131 Mainz
Tel.: 06131 176 064
E-Mail: [email protected]
What were the other consequences? In November 2022, the priest was removed from his position at St. Thomas More Church after an internal investigation uncovered his gaming addiction and misuse of church funds.
The executive director of St. Thomas More told investigators she believed Kozak knew that the credit card was being used for the games. She reported that she had previously questioned the priest about unexplained expenses on the credit card statements and had warned him about the risks of mixing business and personal expenses (via The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Subsequent investigations later revealed that Kozak had sent a check for $8,000 to his successor at St. Thomas More after his removal as head of the church.
In a letter, Kozak apologized to the new priest, stating that he regretted making this mistake. He said he had started to repay the money he owed to the church.
The title image is a symbolic image – it comes from Pexels.
In mobile games, money can fly away quickly:
