A former church employee has pleaded guilty to embezzling $324,000 from two Catholic parishes in Tabor and Lesterville.
Steven Bares appeared Tuesday in federal court where he pleaded guilty to one felony count of wire fraud. Bares initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during this week’s hearing.
Court records indicate Bares was tried in federal court because his wire transactions crossed state lines into Minnesota. The investigation included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).
Matt Althoff, chancellor for the Sioux Falls Diocese, sent an email message to Tabor and Lesterville parishioners following Bares’ guilty plea and court appearance Tuesday. The diocese consists of South Dakota east of the Missouri River.
Althoff spoke late Wednesday afternoon to a meeting of parishioners from the two churches, St. Wenceslaus Church in Tabor and St. John the Baptist Church in Lesterville. During the meeting at the Tabor church, Althoff emphasized the illegal activity appears limited to Bares. No family members, priests or other individuals have been linked to the embezzlement.