Former Solon Priest Accused Of Embezzling $294,000 From Churches

SOLON, OH — A former Solon and Bedford priest has been accused of defrauding a church of $250,000.

“This defendant is accused of using his position as a priest to embezzle funds intended to serve his parishioners and the community,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “The defendant’s alleged embezzlement was so wide-ranging that at least one local parish suffered financial ruin. He must now answer for these actions in federal court.”

Andrey Kovalenko, 52, was once the director of the Shrine of Mariapoch in Burton, administrator and pastor at Saint John Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church in Solon and Saint Eugene Byzantine Catholic Church in Bedford Heights. He was indicted last week on charges of mail fraud.

Prosecutors said Kovalenko had access to several bank accounts and debit cards associated with the churches he managed. The Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, which oversees many of the parishes previously run by Kovalenko, had explicit guidelines on when a parish would pay for a priest's expenses.

Between May 16, 2014 and June 15, 2015, Kovalenko is accused of embezzling $35,686 from the Shrine of Mariapoch's bank accounts, the indictment said. Then, between Jan. 16, 2015 and July 21, 2018, Kovalenko is accused of embezzling approximately $70,000 the Saint John Hungarian Byzantine Catholic Church, using church money for personal expenses like groceries, payments to auto dealers and online music services, the indictment said.

Kovalenko is also accused of embezzling approximately $187,000 from his church in Bedford Heights, the indictment said. Prosecutors said he purchased two freight storage containers and embezzled fees for the rental of the church's hall for weddings and other events.

In total, Kovalenko is accused of embezzling approximately $294,000 from the three churches, prosecutors said. Saint Eugene Byzantine Catholic Church was closed due to its financial condition, the Department of Justice noted.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Cleveland FBI led the investigation into Kovalenko.