Former Greek Orthodox priest accused of embezzling $450K

Federal prosecutors charged a 57-year-old former priest with criminal bank fraud and stealing nearly $500,000 from a Buffalo, N.Y., church, according to a Tuesday statement from the Department of Justice. A federal complaint accused Christos Christakis of stealing about $450,000 from the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, a parish under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

How do prosecutors think he did it? Prosecutors say that less than five years into leadership, Christakis inserted a clause into the church’s bylaws allowing him full control of the priest discretionary fund, which was designed to provide small direct payments to those in need. A whistleblower filed a complaint with the archdiocese in 2025 citing financial irregularities at Hellenic Orthodox, which triggered an investigation into Christakis. The then-priest admitted to using parish funds for personal use for about seven years beginning in 2018, according to the DOJ.

The complaint alleged that from January 2018 through July 2025, only 11 of the 725 checks deposited into the discretionary fund were specifically designated for the fund, prosecutors said. Records showed that at least one $7,000 check was written from the fund to pay Christakis’ personal credit card bill, according to the DOJ.

Investigators analyzed Christakis’ bank account, and concluded that the priest and his wife could not have generated their level of income given their employment and lifestyle, according to the release. Investigators compared activity from Christakis’ account against activity within the discretionary account and identified about $338,660 in cash they concluded was taken directly from the fund.

Investigators conducted a larger analysis of Christakis’ spending and bank accounts excluding cash deposits, and concluded that non-cash sources of income were also insufficient to support the lifestyle of Christakis and his family. Federal investigators ultimately accused Christakis of stealing approximately $450,000. Christakis may face up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the charges, according to prosecutors. 

An allegation is not in and of itself evidence of guilt. Christakis is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.