A Pennsylvania priest has been arrested and charged after allegedly stealing around $750,000 from churches, a church-affiliated organisation and his own elderly mother over several years. Gregory Allen Madeya, 69, was taken into custody in Florida on 14 August in connection with thefts dating back to 2018, and has since been extradited to Pennsylvania. The case has drawn sharp criticism from the state's attorney general, who described the alleged conduct as a betrayal of the trust placed in Madeya by both his congregation and his family.

Madeya, who served at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in McKeesport, is accused of misappropriating nearly $320,000 from parishes, followers and the Knights of Columbus, plus more than $230,000 from his mother's investment accounts after she became unable to manage her own finances; she was reportedly evicted from several care homes due to unpaid fees. He is also alleged to have failed to pay almost $250,000 in taxes, bought a Ford Mustang for a housemate, and tried to sell a gold chalice worth $19,440 to a jeweller. Madeya faces multiple felony charges, including theft and financial exploitation of an older adult, and remains in Westmoreland County Prison after failing to post $25,000 bail; his lawyer has declined to comment on the allegations' accuracy but says the case involves extensive paperwork and could go to trial.