Foley: Father David Foley csc

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Lorne David Foley

David L Foley (listing in 1973-74 in Canadian Catholic Church Directory)

priest – Holy Cross Father (Congregation of the Holy Cross).  Ordained 1965.  Taught at Notre Dame in Welland while serving as Pastor at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Stevensville.   1984 GUILTY plea to two charges of theft (fraud were charges withdrawn).  Father Foley and Welland’s Mayor Stranges  stole about $120,000.  Foley  Sentenced to 15 months in jail and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment (spent time at Southdown (Emmanuel Convalescent Centre, in Aurora Ontario).  Foley admitted he used some of the money to rent an apartment in Buffalo, N.Y. to house his homosexual lover.  Not listed in Church directories after 1999 – must be either deceased, out of the priesthood or serving in another country.

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The following information is drawn from Catholic Church Directories (CCCD) which I have on hand, the 1980 Ontario Catholic Directory (OCD) and media (M)

2000, 1999:  not listed in directory (CCCD)

1998, 1997: Apt. 1, 322 Pape Ave., Toronto   (CCCD)

1996, 1995,1994:  40 Raglan Ave., Toronto, Ontario  416-781-7407 (CCCD)

1993:  1171  Bedford Hwy., Apt. 4, Bedford, Nova Scotia, 902-835-6470  (CCCD)

1992: 3083 Olivet St., Apt. 306, Halifax, Nova Scotia 902-454-0717 (CCCD)

1991:  address for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church, Halifax/ Rockingham,  Nova Scotia (church phone number 902-443-0725,  Father Foley phone number 902-443-0725)  (CCCD) (Pastor:  Father Donald Layden csc)

1985-1986:  address and phone number for St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, RR #3, Stevensville (Snyder), Ontario (Pastor Father J. Ingrao csc) (CCCD)

April 1984:  GUILTY plea to two charges of theft related to irregularities at Bingo games held for St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic church in Fort Erie and Notre Dame High School in Welland, Ontario. Testified that about a nine month period he skimmed about $500.month from Bingo receipts and split the money with Eugene Stranges who was at the time Mayor of Welland, Ontario.

 August 1983:  Southdown for, according to the media.  “psychiatric therapy” (M)

28 0r 29 March 1983: charged with fraud (M)

March 1983: teaching at Notre Dame High School, Welland, Ontario and Pastor at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Stevensville, Ontario (M)

1980: address and phone number for Congregation of the Holy Cross English Province house on Niagra St., Welland, Ontario (OCD) ( I believe there is a good possibility he was teaching at Notre Dame where, as in the early 70s when he was there,  Father Rheal LeBlanc was Principal? )

1973-74:  Notre Dame College School, Welland, Ontario (Father F.R. Theriault sup., Father R.F. LeBlanc princ., Father E.F. Baird bursar) (CCCD)   (Father Rheal Leblanc is currently facing child pornography charges)

1971-72:  not listed (CCCD)

1968-69, 1967:  not listed (CCCD)

1965:  ORDAINED (was he perhaps ordained in the States?)

joined the Holy Cross Fathers when he was 16 (M)

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Former mayor’s failure to appear as witness means charges dropped

The Toronto Globe and Mail

29 April  1985

BUFFALO, N.Y. (CP) – Charges against two Buffalo men accused of robbing former Welland, Ont., mayor Eugene Stranges in August, 1983, have been dropped.

The Supreme Court of New York in Buffalo signed a court order dismissing the case after Mr. Stranges failed to testify against the two accused on Wednesday. ”The case is closed,” Walter Pacer, trial assistant with the Erie County District Attorney’s office, said on the weekend. ”It’s not unusual for the victim not to testify. He has his own concerns for not testifying. He told me he couldn’t leave the Niagara area as a condition of his parole.” Mr. Stranges, convicted last year of two counts of theft over $200, was released last Monday from Wayside House, a centre for parolees in St. Catharines, after a parole board hearing.

The former mayor was sentenced to two years less a day on June 25, 1984, after he was convicted of the theft of bingo funds from games run for the benefit of Notre Dame College School and St. Joseph Church in Snyder, near Welland.

Mr. Stranges and a friend, Rev. David Foley, told Buffalo police they were approached by two men, one armed with a handgun, in the parking lot of a restaurant on Aug. 9, 1983.

Police were told Mr. Stranges and Mr. Foley were forced into Mr. Foley’s car and eventually taken to an apartment in Buffalo. The two men allegedly made off with about $100, credit cards and the car after forcing the Welland men to strip.

Police apprehended one suspect later that night and a second about a week later.

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Former Welland mayor parolled

Toronto Globe and Mail

26  April  1985

WELLAND, Ont. — WELLAND, Ont. (CP) – Former Welland mayor Eugene Stranges has been paroled partly because he paid back more than $40,000 of the bingo money he stole, the chairman of the Ontario Parole Board said.

Mr. Stranges and Roman Catholic priest Rev. David Foley were convicted last year of stealing $120,000 in bingo funds from games run for the benefit of Notre Dame College School in Welland and St. Joseph’ Church in Fort Erie. Rev. Foley admitted some of the money was used to rent an apartment in Buffalo, N.Y. to house his homosexual lover.

The former mayor, who was sentenced to two years less a day on two counts of theft over $200, was released from The Wayside House, a halfway house in St. Catharines on Monday, following a parole board hearing into his case April 11.

Mr. Stranges had been denied parole in February and re-applied after the 60 day limit had passed. ”He has made an effort to make some things right,” parole board chairman Donna Clark said.

In March, a spokesman from the Attorney General’s office in Toronto said Mr. Stranges had paid more than $40,000 to the two parties which led in part to the Crown attorney dropping an appeal against his sentence.

Ms Clark said Mr. Stranges ”had done well” in the halfway house but the parole board also considered evidence that his father was ill and he was needed at home. ”The board did not feel he needed further imprisonment or close confinement,” she said.

Ms Clark said no special conditions have been imposed on him. He must report to the police and his parole supervisor on a regular basis and must also consult the supervisor if he changes residence or employment until his term expires June 23, 1986.

Rev. Foley, a former teacher at Notre Dame and former parish priest at St. Joseph, was sentenced to 15 months in custody and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. He has been released on parole.

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Crown set to appeal theft case

The Toronto Globe and Mail

18 July 1984

WELLAND, Ont. (CP) – A sentence of two years less a day, given last month to former Welland mayor Eugene Stranges for his part in a bingo theft scheme, will be appealed by the Crown in the Ontario Supreme Court.

The Crown will also appeal the refusal of Judge William Coulter to order Mr. Stranges to make restitution of more than $83,000, Constable Martin Welychka said yesterday. He said he was speaking on behalf of Crown Attorney Jeffrey Manishen.

Judge Coulter sentenced Mr. Stranges to two years less a day in reformatory and two years probation but refused to deal with the restitution request because the amount of money missing was in dispute.

He said the two charities involved should go to civil court for restitution because criminal law has no means to decide what amount should be repaid.

The bingos from which money was taken were to raise money for Notre Dame College School of Welland and St. Joseph’s Church in nearby Fort Erie, Ont.

The day after Mr. Stranges was sentenced, Paul Forestell, counsel for the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Catharines, Ont., said restitution would not be sought because ”the matter has been before the courts long enough.” Mr. Stranges was convicted of stealing money raised at charity bingo games during 1982 and 1983 in collusion with a Catholic priest, Rev. David Foley, who used some of the profits to finance an apartment in Buffalo, N.Y., for homosexual encounters.

Father Foley pleaded guilty in April to two theft charges and is serving a 15-month sentence.

Meanwhile, Mr. Stranges’ assets of $140,000 remain frozen after he lost an appeal in the Ontario Supreme Court to release them.

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Ex-mayor of Welland jailed

The Toronot Globe and Mail

26 June 1984

By Duncan McMonagle

Former Welland, Ont., mayor Eugene Stranges has been sentenced to two years less a day in reformatory for helping to steal more than $100,000 from charity bingos.

He must serve two years probation afterward, County Court Judge William Colter ruled yesterday. He imposed the same, concurrent sentence on each of two counts of theft over $200.

The judge refused an application by Crown counsel Jeffrey Manishen that Mr. Stranges be ordered to repay about $84,000 to Notre Dame College School in Welland and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. Catharines, Ont.

Judge Colter said that although “a very substantial amount of money is unaccounted for,” he has only the estimate of an accountant called by the Crown during the trial.

Judge Colter said that Father David Foley, a co-accused who pleaded guilty to two theft charges and was sentenced to 15 months in reformatory and two years of probation, returned about $20,000.

Yesterday, the judge ordered that about $16,000 found in the trunks of the two men’s cars be returned to the school and church. He advised the two organizations to file a civil suit for the money.

Father Foley had been the Crown’s chief witness at the 17-day trial.

At yesterday’s all-day sentencing hearing, Niagara Region Police Constable Martin Welychaa testified that Mr. Stranges tried to cash in $30,000 in annuities – part of his $140,000 assets – during his trial. The Crown got a temporary injunction preventing the move, and Mr. Stranges is appealing that order.

Judge Colter said Mr. Stranges, a 42-year-old bachelor who lives with his widower father, “was obviously highly regarded by church officials” before the crime. He said the sentence must “recognize the shock waves that strike the community” when its mayor is found to be a thief.

He said Mr. Stranges had shown no remorse. Even after his conviction, Mr. Stranges, who had been a Welland alderman for 11 years before being elected mayor in 1978, denied his guilt. His letter of resignation May 18 said he was shocked by the verdict but felt it was in the best interests of the city that he resign.

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Mayor shared bingo funds: priest

The Toronto Globe and Mail

04 May  1984

By Kirk Makin

A Welland., Ont., Roman Catholic priest testified yesterday that he helped himself to thousands of dollars from bingo proceeds – but not before he ensured there would be enough money to reshingle his parish church roof.

Rev. David Foley also said Welland Mayor Eugene Stranges shared some of the bingo proceeds with him. Mr. Stranges has pleaded not guilty to fraud and theft in connection with a Fort Erie church and Welland school.

Testifying at Mr. Stranges’ trial, Father Foley said both men helped run the bingo games in Welland and Fort Erie, Ont., and used to look after the proceeds together, storing them in “bingo boxes” and later dividing them among various causes, which included themselves. Mr. Stranges kept custody of the boxes, he said.

Part of the money went toward a Buffalo apartment the two men kept in order to get away from it all once in a while, the priest said.

Asked why he took the money, Father Foley said: “It didn’t seem like very much for the total amount of time I was involved. It’s still not a very good explanation,” he added. “I had another use for the money. I had some spending money for myself and to assist someone else.” Who was that someone else? Crown counsel Jeffrey Manishen asked. “Mr. Stranges,” the priest replied.

The Crown alleges that about $120,000 was taken from the bingo proceeds. The County Court jury has already heard that Mr. Stranges frequently gave a U.S. woman free bingo cards, often in exchange for liquor.

Bookkeeping was done a little randomly, Father Foley testified, and it is difficult in retrospect to calculate accurately how much money was taken in from sales of bingo cards at various discount prices.

He said he usually left the bingo games early and simply assumed that all the proceeds went into the boxes.

Mr. Stranges looked on as Father Foley hefted bundles of bills entered as exhibits yesterday. The priest said that on the day before he and the mayor were arrested, they divided up one of the bingo boxes containing about $4,000.

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Mayor resigns in Welland

The Toronto Globe and Mail

19 May  1984

Welland, Ont. – Eugene Stranges resigned yesterday as mayor of Welland after being found guilty on Thursday by a County Court jury in Toronto of theft of about $120,000 from charity bingo games in Welland and Fort Erie, Ont.

In a written statement to the municipal clerk’s office yesterday, Mr. Stranges said he was innocent of the charges and shocked by the jury’s verdict, but felt it was in the best interests of the city to resign.

The 42-year-old former secondary school teacher was charged more than a year ago after a complaint of irregularities at bingo games held for St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Fort Erie and Notre Dame High School in Welland. Rev. David Foley, 43, co-accused in the same case, is serving a 15-month jail sentence after he pleaded guilty last April to two theft charges.

Mr. Stranges, who was elected mayor in 1978, is to be sentenced on June 25. A special meeting of the city council is to be held on Tuesday to discuss filling the mayor’s position. ”I wish to state emphatically that I am innocent of the charges made against me and am shocked and deeply disappointed by the verdict of the jury,” Mr. Stranges said in the statement. ”I am taking this action today because I believe it is in the best interests of the city. ”I shall always remember the kindness shown to me by so many people during this very difficult period, and I shall always be thankful to the people of Welland for the support they have given me over so many years.” He served 11 years as alderman before being elected mayor in 1978. He took a leave of absence from office while he was tried.

Mr. Stranges has been released on bail until he is sentenced..

Crown attorney Jeffrey Manishen said he would ask Judge William Colter to impose a sentence involving a ”substantial period of incarceration” and restitution of the money.

Father Foley testified at Mr. Stranges’ trial that he skimmed $500 a month from bingo receipts between June, 1982, and March, 1983, and split the money with Mr. Stranges.

Mr. Stranges told the jury his involvement with the bingo operation was limited.

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Priest gets 15-month sentence for theft

The Toronto Globe and Mail

19  April  1984

WELLAND, Ont. – A Roman Catholic priest was sent to prison for 15 months yesterday and placed on two years probation on two counts of theft of more than $120,000 from charity bingo games in Welland and Fort Erie.

Before being sentenced, Rev. David Lorne Foley, 43, in a breaking voice, apologized to the community, the church and to his family. He was flushed and wore clerical attire.

Father Foley, a former teacher at Holy Cross Senior School in Welland and former pastor at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Stevensville, Ont., admitted that he stole $500 a month in profits from the bingo games over two years. He pleaded guilty on Monday.

He was charged jointly with Welland Mayor Eugene Stranges.

County Court Judge William Colter said Father Foley resented church authority. Apparently, he was an excellent school teacher, but had serious emotional problems.

Testimony showed that the priest entered the Holy Cross Order when he was 16.

Judge Colter said he could not consider the defence lawyer’s suggestion that Father Foley be placed in custody of a treatment centre for Roman Catholic clergy in Aurora, Ont., where he has been undergoing psychiatric therapy since August.

Judge Colter said he wondered what effect Father Foley’s actions had on his students, who acted as collectors of bingo money, when they learned that their respected teacher had been skimming profits.

The judge said that by pleading guilty, Father Foley has spared the Government the expense of a long trial.

Judge Colter recommended an immediate temporary absence program, with psychiatric treatment continuing at the Aurora centre.

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Change of venue for mayor’s trial allowed by judge

The Toronto Globe and Mail

18 April  1984

WELLAND, Ont. — Special to The Globe and Mail WELLAND, Ont. – Welland Mayor Eugene Stranges’ trial on two counts of theft and two counts of fraud involving several thousand dollars in connection with bingos at Notre Dame High School in Welland and St.

Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Stevensville, Ont., will start in Toronto Tuesday.

County Court Judge William Colter said he would allow defence lawyer Robert Carter’s motion for a change of venue because of news reports this week on Rev. David Lorne Foley’s trial.

Father Foley is to be sentenced today on two charges of theft involving more than $120,000.

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Crown seeks reformatory term Priest pleads guilty to theft

The Toronto Globe and Mail

17 April 1984

WELLAND, Ont. — Special to The Globe and Mail WELLAND, Ont. – A Roman Catholic priest pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court of Ontario yesterday to two charges of theft involving more than $120,000 in connection with bingos at Notre Dame High School in Welland and St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Stevensville, Ont.

Two charges of fraud were withdrawn.

Rev. David Lorne Foley, 43, former parish priest at St. Joseph’s and a secondary school teacher, was charged jointly with Welland Mayor Eugene Stranges last March.

Mayor Stranges, who entered a plea of not guilty, goes on trial today.

Father Foley is to be sentenced today.

Crown Attorney Jeffrey Manishen of Hamilton asked Mr. Justice William Colter for a sentence that reflects society’s abhorrence of the crime that was committed. He suggested a reformatory term of up to two years less a day followed by probation.

He said Father Foley had abused his position of trust in the community and there should be no exceptional treatment because he is a priest. Because of his position, he was expected to have a higher standard of moral responsibility.

Mr. Manishen said that as a teacher at Notre Dame school, Father Foley was looked up to by his students. Father Foley did not need the money, but the church and school did, the prosecutor said.

Similar to a policeman, the uniform a priest wears allows offences to be committed without arousing suspicion.

Defence lawyer Paul Forestell said Father Foley was described by a psychiatrist as a deeply troubled man and a borderline psychopath. He asked Judge Colter for a term of probation that would allow Father Foley to continue his therapy at the Emmanuel Convalescent Foundation in Aurora, a centre for troubled clergy.

He said his client has been in the custody of the centre and is undergoing, at his own consent, intensive therapy.

He was really in jail, Mr. Forestell said. The rehabilitation was not complete, and the program would be interrupted if any other sentence were imposed, he added.

The therapy will be continued until Father Foley is a responsible person in society, he said.

Mr. Forestell said Father Foley would be warmly accepted back into the community when the program is completed.

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Two Buffalo men are indicted

The Toronto Globe and Mail

13 December 1983

Two Buffalo men have been indicted on charges of abducting and robbing Mayor Eugene Stranges of Welland, Ont., at gunpoint last August during an incident involving the mayor and Rev. David Foley, a Fort Erie, Ont., priest. Kevin Tate, 25, and David Garrison, 24, were indicted, but the charges involve only Mr. Stranges. Father Foley did not appear before a grand jury and could not be subpoenaed because he is a Canadian citizen.

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Buffalo police charge man Welland mayor, priest robbed

The Toronto Globe and Mail

11 August  1983

BUFFALO, NY — Special to The Globe and Mail BUFFALO, N.Y. – Buffalo City Police have charged a 24-year-old man with two counts of robbery with a weapon after Welland Mayor Eugene Stranges, 41, and Rev. David Foley, 42, complained to police they were robbed of $100 at gunpoint and forced to disrobe in a house the mayor and priest rent in West Buffalo.

Police officer Madonna Dufrane said Mayor Stranges and Father Foley, a Roman Catholic priest from Fort Erie, were sitting in a restaurant parking lot when they were apparently accosted by two men. “It sounds strange to me,” the officer said, “but the victims said the men flashed a gun and said, ‘We’re going with you.’ ” She said they told her they were forced to drive to the victims’ house, where one of the two robbers called them freaks and ordered them to disrobe. They said they were then forced into a washroom while the robbers ransacked the premises, she said.

Mayor Stranges and Father Foley are scheduled to appear in provincial court today for a preliminary hearing after they were charged earlier this year with two counts of theft and two counts of fraud in the operation of bingo games at a Fort Erie church and a Welland high school.

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More charges laid against mayor, priest

The Toronto Globe and Mail

31 March 1983

WELLAND, Ont. — Further charges have been laid against Mayor Eugene Stranges, 41, of Welland, and a parish priest at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Stevensville in connection with alleged irregularities at charity bingos. Mayor Stranges, who is serving his third term of office, is now charged with theft in connection with bingos at Notre Dame High School in Welland and St. Joseph’s Church, in addition to defrauding the high school and church of money. Rev. David Lorne Foley, 42, who teaches at Notre Dame, has also been charged with theft in addition to an earlier fraud charge. Both men have been released on promises to appear in Niagara Falls Provincial Court on April 14. Niagara Regional Police said yesterday that thousands of dollars are involved in the case.

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Priest charged

The Toronto Globe and Mail

29 March  1983

Fort Erie, Ont. – The parish priest of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church of Stevensville, Ont., who is also a secondary school teacher at Notre Dame High School in Welland, has been charged with fraud in connection with the Town Centre Bingo Hall in Fort Erie. Rev. David Lorne Foley, 42, is scheduled to appear in Niagara Falls Provincial Court on April 14.

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