We all have secrets. This includes devout Roman Catholics. For some of our sins, confession alone may not save our souls. Stealing of course violates one of the sacred 10 Commandments. Stealing from the house of God, well, let’s let Him be the Judge.

The New York Times reports that a woman who worked in accounts payable for eight years for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was ripping them off.

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Colleagues praised her quiet dedication and hard work, and noted that she prayed often; her volunteer work at an event at St. Patrick’s Cathedral won mention in the church’s newspaper, Catholic New York. No one, then, questioned the hundreds of checks she wrote at the archdiocese to cover small expenses, like office supplies and utility bills.

Anita Collins was charged with embezzling more than $1 million over seven years from the archdiocese.

The 67-year-old did not live lavishly. But at her modest home in the Throgs Neck section of the Bronx, a particular interest of Ms. Collins’s became apparent: expensive dolls.

Police found 17 boxes were labeled dolls, many from the very expensive Madame Alexander catalog; about three more were labeled bears. And when a postal service carrier walked by, she noted the volume of mail and packages that the family received.

The scheme diverted money “designated for the purpose of helping to provide Catholic education.” The archdiocese has been closing churches and schools for lack of money, and asking for more than $15 million in an annual charity appeal.

Collins had issued 468 checks from the archdiocese to “KB Collins,” the initials of one of her sons. After each check was printed, she would change internal records to show that the check had been issued to a legitimate vendor.

She kept the amounts to less than $2,500 each to avoid the approval of a supervisor required for larger checks.

It appears that Collins used the money on $18,000 in furniture from Bloomingdale’s, $37,000 in clothes from Barneys and Brooks Brothers, and $19,000 in goods from an Irish gift shop.

Collins was charged with first-degree grand larceny and falsifying business records. She could face a maximum of 25 years in prison on the grand larceny count.

Multi-Theft Offender

According to court records, she was arrested in June 1999, and charged with stealing at least $46,000 over 16 months from AccuStaff, a Manhattan temporary employment agency where she worked as a payroll manager.

In that case, she was accused of issuing duplicate checks to some employees, and then cashing them with check-cashing cards she had issued to herself under various names.

In January 1986, she was arrested in the Bronx on multiple counts of criminal forgery and grand larceny. In that case, she pleaded guilty to a Class A misdemeanor and received three years’ probation.

Collins may be well-past needing a simple New York theft class. She is going to be in jail for quite some time for this offense. In general, a stop theft class can help those with a misguided moral compass like Collins.