Results tagged “reverend”

An Episcopal pastor on Staten Island is accused of turning the other cheek to a plastic surgeon and paying for the procedures with church money. According to SI Live, Rev. William Blasingame, 66, the now-resigned pastor of St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church in Stapleton, is accused of stealing over $80,000 during a three-year period starting in January 2005. Authorities say Blasingame used the money to pay for botox injections and face lifts (see his picture), as well as a club membership, car insurance, fancy clothes, and unspecified drugs. The larceny was discovered after church elders began double-checking church finances and noticed suspicious withdraws from two funds: one that was supposed to cover the maintenance and beautification of the church's grounds, and the other to provide small amounts of cash to parishioners in need. But don't parishioners also need a good-looking pastor? The D.A. doesn't think so; Blasingame's been charged with felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison.