BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A volunteer at a Buffalo church has pleaded guilty to stealing over $10,000 in cash offerings from the church.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 67-year-old Francis R. Winiarski pleaded guilty Thursday in Erie County Court to one count of third-degree grand larceny.
Between August 1, 2023, and March 3, 2024, while volunteering at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Amherst Street, Winiarski stole over $10,000. The district attorney's office said Winiarski pocketed cash, given by parishioners during the offering, by tampering with the collection bags.
As a condition of the plea, Winiarski signed a Confession of Judgment to pay $10,699 in restitution.
Winiarski is scheduled to be sentenced on December 19 and faces a maximum sentence of up to seven years in prison.
He remains released on his own recognizance as the charge is a non-qualifying offense for bail.
