Grosse Pointe Park Man Arrested In Scheme To Steal From Charity

GROSSE POINTE, MI — A Grosse Pointe Park man was arrested Thursday in connection with a criminal case alleging he stole money from a local religious charity to pay his mortgage, credit card payments and to purchase a new roof, U.S. attorneys said this week.

John R. Lynch, 56, is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, and the theft, embezzlement, unlawful conversion, intentional misapplication and obtaining by fraud of property under the care, custody and control of an organization receiving federal funds, court documents show.

According to a federal affidavit, Lynch in March 2012 became the CFO of the Holy Cross organization, an organization that provided welfare services to disadvantaged children and adolescents, among other services. In January 2015, he became its CEO.

While working as the organization's CEO, Lynch used Holy Cross funds to pay for repairs to his own cars, install a new roof on his house, pay down his personal mortgage balance, and make payments on a personal American Express account, according to the affidavit.

He also used Holy Cross funds to pay his own consulting company and to pay another company hired to provide security services at the Samaritan Center, a company ostensibly controlled by a relative but actually controlled by him, authorities said.

Holy Cross receives federal funds under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, attorneys said. It also receives federal funds under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, which pays for foster care and provides adoption assistance and guardianship assistance.