Priest sentenced to 4 to 20 years prison for embezzlement

Todd Heywood
·1 min read

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A priest has been sentenced to four to 20 years in prison after being convicted of embezzlement by a Clinton County jury.

David Rosenberg, 72, was found guilty last month of eight felonies, for embezzling or stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from retired, elderly priests, the Office of the Michigan Attorney General reported Monday.

Rosenberg was employed as Director of the Lansing Catholic Diocese’s St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt between 2015 and 2021. He was an ordained priest. He embezzled or stole approximately $780,000 from three priests and gave the stolen funds to his charitable foundation, FaithFirst, formerly the Rosenberg Family Corporation, the AG’s office reported. The 95-acre Retreat Center property includes apartments that house retired priests. The three victims resided at the Retreat Center apartments until their deaths.

He was convicted of

  • Three counts of Embezzlement from a Vulnerable Adult $100,000 or more;

  • One count of False Pretenses $100,000 or more;

  • One count of False Pretenses $20,000-$50,000;

  • One count of Perjury;

  • One count of Uttering and Publishing; and

  • One count of Larceny $20,000 or more.

Here’s what Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a news releases after the sentencing hearing Monday:

Stealing from our elderly and vulnerable adults, especially from a position of authority, is a significant crime and this sentence reflects that. My department will continue to prosecute these crimes, on behalf of victims living or deceased, and it is our hope that would-be thieves and scammers see this is a serious offense that can get them years behind bars.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, news releases March 18, 2024

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