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A Pennsylvania pastor is under criminal investigation after authorities say he fabricated the winner of a church raffle that promised a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray or $50,000 in cash.
According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Rev. Ross R. Miceli of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Erie is accused of falsifying raffle results, inventing names for multiple prize winners, and moving the grand prize money into a separate account.
The 2024 raffle, which sold $50 tickets, was designed to raise as much as $500,000 for the parish. The grand prize was an Amplify Orange 2024 Corvette Convertible 1LT or a $50,000 payout. Smaller “12 Days of Christmas” prizes, worth $500 each, were also offered in the lead-up to the Dec. 24 drawing.
Officials say the winning four-digit ticket number was matched to a man identified by Miceli as “Martin Anderson of Detroit,” who allegedly chose the cash option. Investigators now allege that Anderson does not exist and never purchased a ticket.
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Court documents further claim Miceli admitted to making up the names of at least four $500 prize winners, reportedly choosing friends or favored parishioners when no actual winners were tied to the drawn numbers.
The Erie Times-News reports that Miceli told investigators he moved the $50,000 grand prize from the raffle account into an interest-bearing church account. Authorities are reviewing whether that transfer violated state law.
Miceli, 42, has stepped down from St. Jude and is reportedly being reassigned to two smaller parishes in Clearfield County while the investigation continues. No charges have been filed as of Monday, but the case remains active.
If proven true, the allegations could result in theft, fraud, and records-tampering charges against the pastor.
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