Western Iowa priest charged with theft from parish
By Kelby Wingert
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SHENANDOAH, Iowa (KCCI) — A western Iowa priest is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the church he served.
The Rev. Thomas Thakadipuram, of Shenandoah, is charged with six counts of first-degree theft and one count of second-degree theft.
Court records say that on Jan. 2, Thakadipuram went to three different banks, where he allegedly removed seven certificates of deposits, or CDs, belonging to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Shenandoah in cash funds and deposited the money into a bank account for a fake missionary group. He’s then accused of transferring the money from the fake missionary group account to his personal account.
In total, law enforcement alleges Thakadipuram swiped $164,000.
Court documents say Thakadipuram told church trustees that he had been defrauded and refused to speak to law enforcement. The criminal complaints say that on the same day law enforcement attempted to talk to him, Thakadipuram attempted to close the accounts and move the money again.
Thakadipuram has pleaded not guilty.
The Diocese of Des Moines told KCCI that Thakadipuram resigned from his position at St. Mary’s in Shenandoah and Hamburg, adding that the diocese has “arranged for the pastoral care of the parishioners” until a new priest is placed.
“The Diocese of Des Moines respects the investigation underway by law enforcement officials and will refrain from additional comment at this time,” the diocese said in a statement.
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