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Date: 6/26/2023
BELCHERTOWN — A former parish priest at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Granby has been charged in connection with the theft of more than $100,000 in parish funds over a period of three years.
Tomasz J. Gorny, 43, currently of Amherst, was at the Belchertown courthouse on June 16 for his arraignment on a charge of larceny over $1,200 in the Eastern Hampshire District Court.
Gorny pleaded not guilty and was released on his personal recognizance along with the following conditions: he was ordered to surrender his passport, not travel outside of the United States, stay at least 50 yards away from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church and have no contact with the witnesses in the case.
The case will be in court on Aug. 3 for a pre-trial hearing.
Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Matthew Russo is prosecuting the case on behalf of the commonwealth.
Granby detectives had launched an investigation after they were notified by the Diocese of Springfield, which had been conducting an internal audit into suspicious use of church funds.
On Dec. 7, 2022, investigators from the Granby Police Department were informed of the diocese’s ongoing investigation pertaining to a priest employed by the diocese identified as Gorny. The diocese had been investigating some questionable spending of church money by Gorny since 2019.
When the sum went above $100,000, the diocese paused the investigation and reported the issue to the Granby Police Department.
Through an investigation, members of the Granby Police Department determined that Gorny unlawfully took and carried away property and money from the parish. Gorny allegedly used the parish funds to purchase numerous items for his own personal use, including power tools, a riding mower, food, wine, car accessories, video games and clothing.
According to the police report, investigators found probable cause that Gorny intended to permanently deprive the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church of its property as several items identified by the diocese were stored in a storage unit in Easthampton under the custody and control of Gorny.
The unit was recovered by Granby police through a search warrant which was served on April 18.
Gorny allegedly charged these expenses to credit cards that the Springfield diocese ultimately had to pay.
The Diocese of Springfield provided a statement that said, “The arraignment of Fr. Tomasz Gorny was certainly disheartening. The diocese takes seriously the stewardship entrusted to us by our parishioners. As soon as our internal investigation discovered the scope of the financial discrepancies at Immaculate Heart of Mary last year, Bishop Byrne immediately instructed that this matter be turned over to the Granby Police Department and he placed Fr. Gorny on administrative leave pending the outcome of this case.”
It continued, “We are most grateful to the Granby police for their diligence in conducting this investigation and locating items suspected to belong to the parish. We must be mindful that Fr. Gorny enjoys the presumption of innocence until this matter is adjudicated in a court of law.”
Reminder Publishing reached out to Gorny’s defense attorney John Dalsey for a comment, but he declined.