Parish priest arraigned for stealing $83,000 to feed porn addiction

A former Roman Catholic priest of a Haverhill parish has been arraigned for stealing over $83,000 from the church and using the money to feed his addiction to pornography as well as cover other personal expenses.

The Rev. Keith P. LeBlanc, 59, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges of fraud and larceny, has been accused of siphoning away more than $79,000 in cash donated and raised piecemeal through candle sales and Christmas bazaars by devout parishioners. 

LeBlanc has also been accused of running up a $4,000 Comcast cable bill to satisfy his craving for online pornography.

According to the investigators, LeBlanc, who was ordained as a priest in 1996 and was put in charge of St. John the Baptist Church in Haverhill, Massachusetts, since 2003, had misappropriated the church money to pay off about $25,000 credit card bill which he had racked up by feeding his pornography addiction. 

LeBlanc had also stolen about $50,000 from the parish to pay for rent on an apartment he kept outside the rectory and to cover his car instalment payments. 

To cover up his activities, LeBlanc had allegedly forged a signature of Deborah Conner, the chairwoman of the parish finance committee, on an audit slip. 

However, an audit by the Archdiocese of Boston revealed the priest's misdeeds.

According to court documents on file at Haverhill District Court, LeBlanc has "admitted to (Archdiocese attorney Mark) Dunderdale that he has an addiction and needs help."

The documents state that LeBlanc's addiction for porn movies could be traced back to the very day he "came to the parish."

LeBlanc resigned as the parish priest on June 18 amid allegations of financial improprieties, less than a week before St. John the Baptist parish was set to celebrate its 55th anniversary. 

Incidentally, a week before he resigned, LeBlanc had told parishioners it is easy for people to judge very quickly when a person of popularity or fame has committed an offensive act.

"Are we ready to forgive them?'' LeBlanc wrote. "Are we ready to give them another chance? Can we accept their apology as really being one of sorrow? In fact, very few of us are willing to forgive unless first their is contrition, tears, and words that show that person is truly sorry."

The priest has reportedly been relocated to the St. John Vianney Center - a behavioral clinic for clergy - in Pennsylvania. 

According to the St. John Vianney Center website, the center "specializes in the treatment of behavioral health issues that are unique to Catholic clergy and consecrated religious, as well as the clergy of other major Christian denominations" and helps patients on their "journey of recovery."

The court has set December 3 as the date for pre-trial hearing. 

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