TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the Division of Criminal Justice announced today that a former officer of a Roman Catholic church in Monmouth County, New Jersey, has been charged with stealing more than $500,000 from the church.

Joseph A. Manzi, 78, of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, is charged by complaint with theft by unlawful taking (2nd degree) for allegedly using church funds for personal purchases.

“The defendant is alleged to have used his position of trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church,” Attorney General Platkin said. “As described in the complaint, this conduct was not to feed his family or for some kind of emergency, but to live a more lavish lifestyle. His alleged criminal acts will not be tolerated.”

“Members of the church who donated their hard-earned funds for the good of their parish should know that their contributions will be used for their intended purposes,” DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton said. “Instead, this defendant allegedly enriched himself with church funds. He now faces criminal charges for his actions.”

According to documents filed in this case, Manzi is the former director of finance, operations, and development for the Church of Saint Leo the Great (St. Leo) in Lincroft, New Jersey. On approximately June 26, 2025, Manzi’s employment at St. Leo ended. Church staff later reviewed the church’s credit card statements and identified numerous unauthorized charges that were determined to allegedly be for Manzi’s personal benefit.

Further review and investigation of the account activity of St. Leo’s credit accounts revealed Manzi allegedly fraudulently used the church’s credit accounts to make over $300,000 in unauthorized purchases of goods and services and separately diverted over $200,000 in cash from St. Leo for his personal benefit from January 11, 2019, through May 7, 2025. Staff members stated Manzi had sole control of the church’s credit cards, which carried his name.

The investigation to date has determined Manzi allegedly fraudulently used St. Leo’s credit cards to make unauthorized purchases and payments of more than $300,000 for event vendors, vehicle repairs, financing, and purchases, including a Cadillac SUV; luxury clothing; personal home repairs and services; personal medical and dental payments; sports event tickets including New York Yankees games; payments to fraternal organizations; chartered fishing trips; and personal insurance.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Conner Ouellette.

These charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to ten years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000.

Attorney General Platkin would like to thank the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Middletown Township Police Department for their outstanding police work in assisting with the investigation.