How Joseph Manzi Embezzled $1.2M From St. Leo the Great

Joseph A. Manzi, the former finance director at the Church of Saint Leo the Great in Lincroft, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to embezzling $1.2 million from the parish over roughly six years, and prosecutors have agreed to recommend a five-year state prison sentence. The 78-year-old admitted to second-degree theft by unlawful taking and third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return before Judge Jill O’Malley in Monmouth County Superior Court. The Joseph Manzi embezzlement at St. Leo the Great also carries $1.2 million in restitution to the church and $73,032 in unpaid taxes owed to the New Jersey State Treasury.¹

How the Theft Worked

Manzi was hired in 2014 as director of finance, operations, and development at the Middletown Township parish. He reported to the pastor, Rev. John T. Folchetti, and oversaw operating accounts, payroll, accounts receivable, human resources, and bookkeeping. He also held sole control of the church’s American Express and Capital One business credit cards.²

Between January 2019 and May 2025, Manzi ran personal expenses through those cards, which were paid straight from the parish operating account, and diverted cash from parish accounts. To keep other staff from noticing, he destroyed the monthly credit card statements before anyone else could review them.²

What He Bought

The personal spending identified by prosecutors and the parish covered a broad range of purchases:

A Cadillac SUV
New York Yankees tickets, chartered fishing trips, cigars, and meals
Construction, renovation, and landscaping at his Atlantic Highlands home, which the church valued at about $1.4 million
Medical and dental bills, insurance payments, luxury clothing, fraternal organization dues, and gift cards
Expenses tied to his daughter’s wedding³

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said Manzi’s conduct “was not to feed his family or for some kind of emergency, but to live a more lavish lifestyle.”

How It Was Discovered

Manzi’s employment at St. Leo the Great ended on June 26, 2025.³ Soon after, a parish bookkeeper closing out one of the church credit cards spotted an unusual charge for Manzi’s personal Cadillac. That single line item prompted a review of six years of financial records, and on July 31, 2025, an auditor confirmed widespread irregularities in the parish accounts.⁴

A preliminary review put the loss at roughly $674,000, and later work pushed that figure much higher. The parish reported its findings to law enforcement, and the state Division of Criminal Justice opened an investigation with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Middletown Township Police.⁵

Criminal Charges and Guilty Plea

On October 17, 2025, Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice announced criminal charges. Manzi was charged by complaint with second-degree theft by unlawful taking based on more than $500,000 in stolen funds, made up of over $300,000 in unauthorized credit card charges and more than $200,000 in diverted cash.⁶

He then pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by unlawful taking and third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend a five-year prison sentence, and Manzi must pay $1.2 million in restitution to the church along with $73,032 in unpaid taxes.¹ As of the most recent reporting, sentencing had not yet taken place, and there is no public indication that any restitution has been recovered.

The Parish’s Civil Lawsuit

On August 8, 2025, the parish sued Manzi in Superior Court, alleging “widespread fraud and theft” carried out “systematically, secretly, and dishonestly.” The church put the total loss at more than $1.5 million, with one version of its filings placing the figure at $1.6 million; the criminal case proceeded on the lower $1.2 million restitution amount.⁴⁷

The suit also seeks the return of all compensation Manzi received during his employment and asks the court to impose a constructive trust over his Atlantic Highlands home, on the theory that the property was financed with stolen parish funds.⁴ The available record does not show a ruling on that request.

Reaction at the Parish and Diocese

After the civil suit became public, parishioners circulated an online petition calling for Folchetti’s removal as pastor. The petition drew 242 signatures and said the failure “to detect and prevent such a massive financial loss over many years” had “gravely undermined the trust of our parish and school community.”⁸ In a letter to the community, church leadership called it a “troubling chapter” and said it knew of no involvement by other staff. The Diocese of Trenton largely declined to comment beyond saying it was cooperating with law enforcement.

In December 2025, the diocese launched an online financial and ethical misconduct reporting tool through EthicsPoint, allowing employees, parishioners, volunteers, and school families to confidentially report suspicions of financial misuse. Bishop David M. O’Connell said the tool fit within the diocese’s existing “system of policies and controls to ensure proper use of resources.” The diocese did not publicly link the new reporting channel to the Manzi case, and no additional structural changes, such as dual-signature requirements or mandatory external audits, were announced.⁹

1
NJ1015. Church Funds Theft Middletown
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Patch. Ex-Finance Director of Middletown Catholic Church Admits Stealing $1.2 Million
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Jersey Shore Online. Church Official Stole Funds for Cadillac, Yankees Tickets
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EWTN News. New Jersey Church Says Finance Director Stole $1.5 Million
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InsiderNJ. Former Church Official Charged With Stealing Funds
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Diocese of Trenton. Former St. Leo Staffer Charged With Alleged Theft of More Than $500K
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Patch. St. Leo Great Says Former Finance Director Stole $1.6 Million From Church
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Two River Times. St. Leo Parish in Lincroft Sues Former Finance Director Alleging $1.5M Fraud
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Trenton Monitor. Diocese Establishes New Site for Reporting Financial Misconduct