Corvette raffle at Erie Catholic church went awry. Refunds are coming
One year after the Erie Roman Catholic church held its Corvette raffle it ended badlyThe district initiated action to refund people who purchased tickets.
The Catholic Diocese of Erie told the Erie Times-News on Dec. 7 that St. Jude the Apostle Church will accept refund applications through Jan. 3.
St. Jude was reviewing the plans For refunds since Augustand the diocese considered redoing the lottery. The diocese opted to issue a refund “because it was not possible for the raffle to be redone in a legally appropriate manner.” Pennsylvania’s Small Games of Chance lawthe diocese said in the statement.
2801 W. Sixth St. in Millcreek Township. at St. St. Jude Catholic Church is issuing refunds to ticket holders for a failed 2024 car raffle.
The diocese also said “there is insufficient information to conduct a new raffle that will offer every participant an equal chance of winning.”
St. St. Jude is offering the refunds because the former pastor, the Rev. Ross R. Miceli, remains under criminal investigation over allegations that he rigged the raffle and improperly spent congregation funds.
Church says it supports bishop’s repayment program
St. Tickets for the Jude Winavette raffle were $50 and the grand prize was a new Corvette Stingray or $50,000 in cash. The grand prize drawing was held on Christmas Eve 2024.
The criminal investigation revealed that Miceli gave $50,000 to a person he said lived in Detroit but did not actually exist. According to search warrants filed by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office as part of the investigation.. The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed.
St. St. Jude aimed to sell 10,000 tickets for the 2024 raffle, an annual event that is the largest fundraiser for the church at 2801W. Sixth St. in Millcreek Township is one of the largest parishes in the 13-county Catholic Diocese of Erie. The congregation did not hold a car raffle in 2025.
Erie Catholic Bishop Lawrence T. Persico placed Miceli on involuntary leave on Aug. 7 in response to Erie Times-News revelations about the giveaway. first reported on August 6. Miceli, 42 years old St. The last services at St. Jude were held on August 3Persico said he was at a residence in Erie.
Persico and his management launched a criminal investigation and filed a lawsuit against St. Louis over the refund process. He consulted Jude. HBK, an independent accounting firm, is managing the refunds, the diocese said.
Diocese of St. He said St. Jude’s new pastor, the Rev. Michael Polinek, has been working with the diocese, HBK and the District Attorney’s Office since August and now has all the information for the church to begin offering refunds.
A 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray sports car drove into St. Louis in Millcreek Township on Aug. 12. It was hidden in front of a garage at the Church of Jude the Apostle. The car was the grand prize in the Roman Catholic church’s 2024 raffle, and the priest at the time told investigators he made up the winner’s name.
According to the diocese, the church, not the diocese, will be responsible for the refunds. Diocese of St. He said St. Jude’s congregation was explained the repayment process at Masses this weekend.
“With the full support of our bishop and to ensure full compliance with the laws regarding Small Games of Chance, I have determined that the most responsible and concerted course of action is to issue a full refund for the 2024 Winavette Car Raffle,” Polinek said in a Dec. 7 statement. he said. “I am grateful for the community’s understanding and trust as we conduct this process with full transparency.”
What is the process for getting a refund?
The diocese said ticket holders can apply for a refund by phone or email: 888-341-6210 or 814-217-8901 or stjude.refund2024@outlook.com. The ticket holder must present a ticket stub or other proof of purchase. The diocese has set up a website to guide ticket holders through the process. eriercd.org/refund.html.
St. St. Jude no longer owns the Corvette that the congregation displayed at the corner of West Sixth Street and Peninsula Drive in the months before the raffle.
St. Louis, Erie accountant Jim Schaffner told the Erie Times-News in August. He said Jude sold the 2024 orange Stingray 1LT Corvette back to the Hallman Chevrolet dealer in Erie. Schaffner assisted the diocese early in the lottery investigation.
In August, Schaffner returned to St. He said Jude bought the car before the raffle. He said the Corvette cost $82,000 and Hallman bought it back for $60,000.
Erie Catholic Lawrence T. Persico is a member of St. Mary’s Church in Millcreek Township. It launched a criminal investigation into a 2024 car raffle held at St. Jude the Apostle Church.
Schaffner said if Hallman resold the Corvette for more than $60,000, Hallman would pay the additional money to St. Louis. He told Jude that he agreed to donate it. St. He said St. Jude plans to use the sale proceeds and other money from Hallman’s to cover repayments.
Fake winner is key evidence in sweepstakes fraud investigation
The Catholic Diocese of Erie opened a criminal investigation into Miceli in February, based on search warrants filed in the case by the District Attorney’s Office. Search warrants, St. It shows that the diocese contacted the District Attorney’s Office after an employee at St. Jude raised concerns about the raffle and told Persico that he had made up the name “Martin Anderson” of Detroit, the grand prize winner.
Miceli said Anderson chose $50,000 over the Corvette, but the $50,000 was in St. Petersburg, according to permits. Jude said it remained in his account.
The lottery investigation began at St. Mary’s Church from July 2022 to August 2024 under the direction of Pastor Miceli. It was expanded to examine St. Jude’s finances.
Detectives with the District Attorney’s Office used sworn search warrants in March and June to seize financial records related to the sweepstakes, as well as records related to $300,000 in spending on an American Express card between January 2024 and March 2025, according to search warrants. According to the search warrants, the money needed to pay the credit card bills came out of church accounts that Miceli single-handedly controlled.
Detectives showed Miceli possessions such as a new Tesla, numerous expensive sneakers and other footwear, Disney collectibles, and casino membership cards to determine probable cause to obtain bank records and records related to his American Express account. According to the search warrants, detectives also located St. While searching St. Jude’s offices and the church rectory where Miceli lived, he also found membership cards for at least a dozen casinos.
“All of this behavior appears inconsistent with his reported modest income and living expenses, which are largely covered by the church,” according to a probable cause affidavit on one of the search warrants.
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@usatodayco.com or 814-870-1813.
This article first appeared in the Erie Times-News: Erie Catholic church launches refund program for defective car giveaway
