A disgruntled Catholic priest was charged Tuesday with raiding church coffers to finance a double life befitting a mogul - and to pay for male escorts. The Rev. Kevin Gray, former pastor at Sacred Heart in Waterbury, Conn., was charged with first-degree larceny, which carries up to 20 years in prison.
He allegedly stole $1.3 million over seven years and spent some of the cash on designer duds and luxury Manhattan hotels and restaurants.
Gray, 64, stayed at the W Hotel and the Waldorf-Astoria, ate at Tavern on the Green and bought Armani and Brooks Brothers suits, cell phones and laptops, said Waterbury police Capt. Christopher Corbett.
He opened credit card accounts for two men he had met - one at a male strip club and another through a male escort service, according to court papers.
One of them racked up $67,000 in charges - including $5,410 for tuition at LaGuardia Community College in Queens. The other charged almost $50,000 to the card, including Louis Vuitton merchandise and $9,000 in Crunch gym fees.
A third man he met in Central Park said Gray paid for his classes at Harvard, piano lessons and veterinarian bills - claiming he was a lawyer who had won big cases.
"The life he was leading in New York City was much different than the life he was leading in Waterbury as a priest," Corbett said.
"He's certainly an example of someone who was leading a double life."
A police affidavit says Gray admitted he swiped about $1 million and told investigators did it because he hated being a priest and got lousy assignments from the Archdiocese of Hartford.
He was Sacred Heart's pastor from January 2003 until April 15, when he was granted a medical leave.
He told the congregation he was battling cancer, but detectives have determined that was a lie.
