Priest named in sex-slave prostitute lawsuit resigns
BRICK, N.J. — The Catholic priest accused of siphoning $1 million from the collection plate to pay a male prostitute and buy a $264,000 home here resigned Saturday, telling his parishioners he was innocent but did not want to be a distraction.
The Rev. Peter Miqueli, of New York City, allegedly skimmed church donations from parishes in the Bronx and Roosevelt Island since 2003, using the cash to buy the house in Brick to share with a male prostitute, according to a lawsuit filed by parishioners last week. Miqueli also paid the prostitute $1,000 a session to act out "sexual fantasies."
"While I am not guilty of the charges that certain individuals have brought against me, I feel that my continued presence here would be a distraction to you, particularly during this season of Advent and Christmas," Miqueli wrote in a letter to his Bronx congregation. "It is in the best interests of the parish that this matter be resolved without me serving as your pastor."
Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, which also is named in the complaint, said the archdiocese has been investigating the allegations "very seriously" for months and working with the Bronx District Attorney's Office. He said parishioners first brought the accusations against Miqueli to the archdiocese over the summer.
"We have asked the people to bring forward any kind of proof," he said, referring to the parishioners who filed the suit. "We’ve asked them to substantiate the allegations they’ve made, we don’t know whether they are true or false. They've given us nothing to back it up."
Zwilling said Miqueli was not accepting any media calls. Miqueli did not return a call to St. Frances De Chantal parish last week seeking comment; a listed number for him was disconnected.
The lawsuit, filed in the Supreme Court of New York, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. In it, parishioners allege Miqueli embezzled church dollars from a thrift store he ran and stole other donations to vacation in Italy and Florida, purchase illicit drugs and pay $1,075 a month to rent a Park Avenue apartment for his male prostitute.
The complaint says Miqueli made the prostitute role-play as the "sexual master" while he acted as the "slave."
"This lawsuit seeks to finally put an end to this truly sinful conduct," the lawsuit stated.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the prostitute, identified as Keith Crist, also are named in the lawsuit.
A new pastor will be appointed to manage St. Frances De Chantal parish in the Bronx, in Miqueli's absence. Miqueli was named pastor there in 2012.
Contributing: Erik Larsen, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press. Follow Karen Yi on Twitter: @karen_yi