The Rev. James Dokos, leader of Glenview’s Saints Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church, will be charged with felony theft in the alleged mishandling of a trust fund at a Milwaukee church, said David Feiss, assistant district attorney for Milwaukee County.
Authorities have concluded a months-long investigation and will file a charge against Dokos of Class G felony theft, alleging he misappropriated an amount of money exceeding $10,000, Feiss said.
The Tribune reported in October that documents the newspaper obtained showed that Dokos, while serving as pastor of Annunciation Church Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee, wrote checks to himself totaling tens of thousands of dollars from a trust fund provided to the church, and that he used the fund to pay at least $32,000 in credit card bills. The documents included copies of cancelled checks and banking records from the trust fund.
Feiss said the district attorney’s office has not yet filed the criminal complaint in court because authorities are discussing a date for Dokos to make his first court appearance. The complaint would be filed a few days before the set date, he said.
Feiss said he expects the court date to be within the next several weeks.
The priest’s attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, denied that Dokos misused any money from the trust fund.
Gimbel described the pending criminal charge as a “vigilante action” by Milwaukee church members who were upset that Dokos was moved to a different church.
“We believe Father Jim Dokos committed no crimes. We believe the church leaders were aware of how he used the (trust) funds,” Gimbel said. “There is absolutely going to be a battle to the conclusion of this case.”
The Milwaukee district attorney’s office began investigating Dokos about a year ago, after being contacted by officials at the Milwaukee church, where Dokos served as a pastor for about 20 years before coming to Glenview.
Annunciation officials first became concerned in spring of 2013, when they said they found possible discrepancies with the trust fund, which was left by Annunciation parishioners Ervin and Margaret Franczak to benefit the church’s cultural center.
The parish leaders turned to authorities after the bishop of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, Demetrios of Mokissos, told members there was no wrongdoing and that the funds were used in accordance with the provision of the trust.
Yet the checks Dokos wrote to himself from the trust were much more than the $5,000 the fund provided him as trustee, according to the documents.
The controversy surrounding the investigation led to tensions between the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago and the Glenview church parishioners.
In fall 2013, Metropolitan Iakovos, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, denied the church’s request to place Dokos on temporary leave while the investigation continued. He also removed the church’s former parish council president, James Gottreich, from his post.
For the Glenview parish, the complaint comes as a sign of relief, said Jim Gottreich, vice president of the parish council at Saints Peter and Paul.
“I’ve said the truth will come out … It’s sad for our church,” he said.
Gottreich said he expects the 20-member parish council to gather for an emergency meeting sometime in the future in order to decide how they will react to the news about their priest. He said someone who is being accused of a criminal act should not be presiding over a congregation. He added that he believes Dokos should at least be put on a leave of absence until the case is resolved.
“It’s been a very troubling time for our parish for many months,” said James Santos, current president of the Glenview parish council. “The criminal complaint doesn’t come as a surprise.”
Santos, who has been on the parish council for about 14 years, noted that the Glenview church’s finances have been struggling more in the last year than they ever have before since he can remember.
Santos said he hopes to get guidance from the Metropolis in response to the complaint.
Gimbel said Dokos has not resigned and that “his fate is in the hands of higher officials of the Greek church.”
The Metropolis, which oversee Greek Orthodox churches in several Midwestern states, issued a statement through a spokesman:
“The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago has learned of the decision of the Milwaukee District Attorney to move forward. We will continue to cooperate with the District Attorney’s office. We will continue to monitor developments in this case and administer our parishes in accordance with our Archdiocesan Charter and Regulations,” the statement read.