BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A volunteer at a Buffalo church has been sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing over $10,000 in cash offerings from the church.
The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 68-year-old Francis R. Winiarski was sentenced Monday in Erie County Court to 364 days in jail.
Between August 1, 2023, and March 3, 2024, while volunteering at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Amherst Street, Winiarski stole over $10,000. The district attorney's office said Winiarski pocketed cash, given by parishioners during the offering, by tampering with the collection bags.
Winiarski pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree grand larceny in October 2024, and as a condition of the plea, signed a Confession of Judgment to pay $10,699 in restitution to the victim. The DA said Winiarski has not paid back any of the stolen money to this point.
According to the district attorney's office, Winiarski was also sentenced in a separate criminal case. In February, he pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree grand larceny for another financial crime he committed while pending sentence for thefts from the church. He received a concurrent sentence of 364 days in jail.
