Catholic Priest Allegedly Spent $40,000 of Church Funds on Candy Crush Microtransactions

By John Lopez

May 01, 2024 04:35 PM EDT

Reverend Lawrence Kozak, a Catholic priest from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, faces theft charges after allegedly spending over $40,000 of church funds on mobile game microtransactions, including Candy Crush and Mario Kart Tour.

FRANCE-INTERNET-GAME-CANDY-CRUSH — A person plays on his tablet with Candy Crush Saga games developed by British King Digital Entertainment, on March 6, 2014, in Lille, northern France. The game is free, but players can pay for in-app extras to help them pass up through its more than 500 levels. Millions of commuters, teenagers -- even pensioners -- clock in daily to test their skills at the game, which involves lining up tiny pieces of colored sweets to make them vanish from the screen of their computer or mobile phone.
(Photo : Photo by PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP via Getty Images)

Priest Drains Church Funds to Pay for Smartphone Games

According to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kozak stands accused of utilizing a church credit card to fuel his gaming addiction over three years, starting in September 2019.

An accountant scrutinizing the church's finances discovered what was described as "an astronomical amount of Apple transactions" linked to Kozak's Apple ID. Additional purchases using church funds included gifts like a Fire Tablet for his goddaughter under the guise of "Uncle Larry."

Upon being confronted by detectives in 2022, Kozak admitted to grappling with a mobile game addiction, for which he sought counseling. He clarified that the expenditures were not on gambling but on game power-ups to enhance his gaming experience.

Kozak remains free after posting a bail amounting to $250,000.

'Not a Details Guy'

However, he denied intentionally misusing the church's credit card, attributing it to oversight, stating, "I'm not a details guy."

The fallout from Kozak's actions has been significant. In November 2022, he was removed from his position at St. Thomas More Church following an internal investigation into his spending habits.

In an attempt at restitution, Kozak sent an $8,000 check labeled "parish reimbursements" to his successor, expressing regret and vowing to repay the church.

The case has drawn attention to its financial implications and parallels with similar incidents involving minors' excessive spending on mobile games. Notable instances include a 13-year-old in China spending $64,000 of family savings on smartphone games and another 11-year-old mistakenly using $6,000 on Roblox.