Kansas priest arrested in parish theft case amid separate criminal investigation
The priest was already the subject of a separate criminal investigation into unspecified allegations.
A priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas surrendered himself to local authorities last weekend after an internal audit at his former parish alleged that he stole more than $100,000 prior to his resignation.
The priest resigned last fall after becoming the subject of a separate criminal investigation into unspecified potential illegal acts allegedly committed against an adult in 2022.
Father Richard Storey, 55, surrendered to the Leawood, Kansas Police Department on May 23. He was charged with theft of property or services worth $100,000 — a crime classified as a level five felony charge which can be punished by up to 10 years in prison.
The alleged financial crime occurred while Storey was pastor at Curé of Ars Parish in Leawood, Kansas — a township located in the Kansas City, Kansas area. Storey was installed as pastor at Curé of Ars in 2015 and served until his resignation in September 2025.
Authorities say that the theft of $160,000 occurred between Jan. 1, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2025. A statement released by the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas said the archdiocese is “fully cooperating with local law enforcement” and is conducting an internal canonical process.
“This news is deeply painful for all of us in the Catholic community, particularly given the nature of the allegations involving resources entrusted to the Church through the sacrifice and generosity of the faithful,” Archbishop Shawn McKnight said via the press release.
Cure of Ars staff reported the missing $160,000 to authorities after conducting an internal audit at the parish following Storey’s resignation. This financial review followed standard diocesean protocol for parishes to undertake an audit when a change in pastoral leadership occurs, the archdiocesan press release noted.
Additionally, parishes are required by the archdiocese to conduct audits every three to four years. The last audit at Curé of Ars had taken place in 2022.
“During the course of the review, information was identified that warranted referral to law enforcement. The Archdiocese shared this information with the Leawood Police Department, which serves the jurisdiction where the parish office is located,” the archdiocese’s statement said.
During the last year of his pastorship, Storey launched and coordinated a $12 million capital campaign at Curé of Ars. To date, the “Cultivating through Christ Capital Campaign” has raised $6,434,054.50. The campaign is raising money to replace the church’s roof and refurnish the interior.
The capital campaign was approved by the archdiocese in late January 2025 and remains ongoing.
Curé of Ars intends to file an insurance claim to recover the financial losses.
Storey has not issued a plea and is due in court June 2. He posted a $25,000 bond on May 23.
Storey resigned as pastor of Curé of Ars on September 17, 2025 after the Prairie Village Police Department notified Storey and the archdiocese that he was under investigation for unspecified potential illegal actions against one adult.
In a statement released September 17, the archdiocese said, “The Prairie Village Police Department has informed the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas of a criminal investigation involving Father Storey concerning another adult. The Archdiocese is fully cooperating with authorities so they can investigate the serious allegations being made against Father Storey.”
Prairie Village is a township that borders Leawood to the north.
The archdiocese, at the time, said that they had initiated a preliminary canonical investigation and temporarily suspended Storey from the public exercise of ministry.
The Prairie Village Police Department announced this investigation in their own September 17 press release acknowledging that the police department had opened “a criminal investigation into an allegation reported to have occurred in Prairie Village. The investigation involves an adult victim and a pastor of Cure of Ars Parish in Leawood.”
A criminal report obtained by The Pillar states that the alleged offense began on March 12, 2022 and occurred until November 11, 2022. The incident was reported three years later on September 9, 2025 at 9:21 am.
The report lists one victim but information about the victim and the alleged crime has been redacted.
A detective with the Prairie Village Police Department told The Pillar on May 28 that the investigation into Father Storey remains ongoing and thus could not comment on the details of the investigation.
Asked about any connection to the indictment filed by the Leawood Police Department, the detective said, “That is their separate investigation and I have no knowledge of it.”
Prairie Village has not filed any charges against Storey yet.
Two simultaneous investigations present a unique aspect to Storey’s case, said Robert Warren, an assistant professor of accounting at Radford University, a retired IRS investigator, and an expert in theft and fraud in ecclesiastical contexts.
Warren told The Pillar that the dual cases complicate the situation surrounding both investigations.
“Rarely do you have a priest where there’s two ongoing criminal cases against him,” Warren said. “You have an adult saying the priest committed a crime against them many years ago and we don’t know what that is. We don’t know how it’s connected to the current case. That makes it weird.”
A second unusual aspect Warren noted is the lack of available information about the financial case. When a person is indicted, typically the indictment has detailed information about the case.
The indictment, obtained by The Pillar, included a list of witnesses and a brief complaint that states, “That on or between the 1st day of January, 2021 and the 31st day of December, 2025, in Johnson County, Kansas, Richard Edward Storey, did then and there unlawfully, feloniously and willfully obtain or exert unauthorized control over property, with the intention to permanently deprive the owner, to wit: The Archdiocese of Kansas City and the Cure of Ars Catholic Church, of the possession, use or benefit of the property, of a value of $100,000.00 or more, a severity level 5 non-person felony.”
Additionally, an affidavit – typically available to the public – was not available upon request. Affidavits detail how an alleged crime was committed. Without the affidavit, there is no documentation of how Storey allegedly stole the $160,000.
“It just seems like all of these things are getting pulled,” Warren said.
He pointed to the ongoing capital campaign as a potential avenue for illegal activity.
In his work, Warren said, he has seen fraudulent activity frequently occur around large fundraising campaigns.
“A lot of times, if you want to steal money and you’re raising money for the capital campaign, but you’re not spending it yet, you’ll take the money from the capital campaign,” Warren said. “Or when you’re spending the money in the capital campaign, it’s even better because it’s hard to keep track of the spending.”
The lack of documents, though, is particularly surprising considering the relatively low amount that Storey allegedly stole from the parish, he said.
“It’s all very close-lipped for $160,000. If it was the normal $160,000, you are just getting probation. Nobody goes to jail for $160,000,” Warren said. “For $160,000, there’s a lot of intrigue here.”
Warren suggested that the secrecy could stem from other ongoing audits at Storey’s other previous parish assignments.
Storey was the pastor at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park between 2009-2015 and a parochial vicar at three rural parishes in Osage County between his ordination in 2004-2009.
The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas has not responded to The Pillar’s request for comment by press time.