CHARLOTTE — Police are investigating the recent disappearance of more than $13,000 from St. Joseph Vietnamese Church's weekly bank deposit.
According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report and an internal audit by the Diocese of Charlotte, $13,463 was reported stolen from the Charlotte parish's deposit sometime between April 3 and 5.
The missing funds will be covered by the parish's insurance policy and will not affect the parish's finances.
Parish and diocesan staff said they are unable to explain the loss.
The money – all cash – came only from the parish's weekly food fundraiser April 3, not the weekend Mass offertory. The Sunday afternoon fundraiser in the parish hall draws hundreds of people after Mass each Sunday to enjoy traditional Vietnamese cuisine, bringing in anywhere from $8,000 to $17,000 in revenue.
Later on April 3, the food sales revenue was counted and placed in a tamper-evident bag as usual. The money, along with the offertory collections from four weekend Masses and a collection for the Diocese of Charlotte's "Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love" campaign, was taken that afternoon to the night deposit box at the Wells Fargo Branch where the church has an account.
On April 5 parish finance council chairman Thinh Tran, who had deposited the six bags, reviewed the deposit online. The bank reported receiving only five bags, and the sixth bag containing the $13,463 in food sales had not been deposited.
The parish immediately alerted the diocesan finance office, which launched an investigation into the missing funds.
The diocesan audit found that the parish had properly followed diocesan financial protocols in handling the money, and that the "bag containing the funds from the fundraiser ... has been purposely or accidentally misdirected."
Multiple people were involved in counting the money and preparing the deposit on April 3, the audit found. A review of the bank's surveillance video of the night deposit box did not provide any evidence to explain the loss.
According to the auditor's report, Tran said he dropped the fundraiser moneybag in the night deposit box first because it was the largest, then he dropped in the remaining five bags. He told the auditor "the lever was making a 'different' noise than it usually does. It was like a creaking sound."
Wells Fargo conducted its own investigation, according to diocesan officials, and insisted that the sixth moneybag containing the $13,463 was never received.
The diocesan auditor recommended an external investigation, so Charlotte-Mecklenburg police were notified.
Father Tri Truong, pastor, informed parishioners of the missing money during all Masses June 11-12, noting that he, the parish finance council and the diocesan finance office "are all cooperating with the police to try to figure out what happened to this money."
Father Truong said he was thankful that the parish's insurance coverage will replace the funds if the missing moneybag is not located.
"The good news is that we have insurance coverage and in the end either this money will be found or the insurance company will reimburse us," he said in a statement to parishioners.
He also noted, "I deeply regret having to bring this matter to your attention. Most of you know that during my five years at St. Joseph I have worked diligently to make sure that there is a clear accounting for all of our finances. I can assure you that I will keep you informed of any new information in this matter."
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor