Fla. priest accused of theft pleads guilty

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. " One of two Florida priests accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from their church pleaded guilty Wednesday, the same day jury selection was set to begin in the case.

Monsignor John Skehan, 81, pleaded guilty to bilking parishioners at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach for years. Skehan, who had been at the church 40 years, had been accused of taking $370,000 between 2001 and 2006, the timeframe covered by the statute of limitations. Church auditors, however, believe the figure stolen over the years was in the millions.

He and the Rev. Francis Guinan had been charged with stealing to fund lavish lifestyles in what authorities say could be one of the biggest embezzlement cases to hit the U.S. Catholic Church. Prosecutors say the priests plucked cash from the offering plate and spent it on upscale homes, gambling trips to Las Vegas with a mistress, even a $275,000 rare coin collection.