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Erie Parish Offers Refunds After Raffle Scandal
8 Dec
Summary
- St. Jude the Apostle Church is offering refunds for a botched Corvette raffle.
- The former pastor, Rev. Ross R. Miceli, is under criminal investigation.
- Refund applications are being accepted until January 3rd.
St. Jude the Apostle Church in Erie has begun the process of refunding ticket holders for a Corvette raffle that was improperly conducted a year ago. The Catholic Diocese of Erie announced that refund applications will be accepted through January 3rd. This development follows an extensive review since August and consideration of redoing the raffle.
The decision to issue refunds was made because a legally compliant redo is not feasible under Pennsylvania's Small Games of Chance law. Additionally, the diocese cited insufficient information to ensure a fair new drawing. These steps are being taken while the church's former pastor, Rev. Ross R. Miceli, is under criminal investigation for allegedly rigging the raffle and mismanaging church funds.
The investigation revealed that Miceli purportedly awarded the grand prize to a non-existent Detroit resident. Separately, he is being investigated for spending approximately $300,000 in church funds on an American Express card between January 2024 and March 2025, with evidence of lavish personal purchases. The diocese has confirmed its support for the refund program, managed by an independent accounting firm.
