Priest Indicted in Fraud Scheme

(Richmond, VA) – Rodney L. Rodis, age 51, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, was indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charles J. Cunningham, Special Agent-In-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Richmond Division; Guy Cottrell, Postal Inspector-In-Charge, Washington Division; and Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Superintendent, Virginia State Police announced the charges.

According to the indictment, beginning in or about September 2002, and continuing through at least August 2006, Rodis engaged in a scheme to embezzle from two parishes he served as a Catholic Priest: St. Jude Church in Mineral, Virginia; and Immaculate Conception Church in Bumpass, Virginia. Both churches are part of the Richmond Diocese.

According to court documents, as part of his scheme, Rodis established bank accounts and a post office box over which he exercised sole authority. He directed that parishioners mail their contributions to this post office box, afterwhich he would then transfer the checks to his personal bank account and wire funds through Virginia Beach to the Philippines.

Throughout the course of the scheme, it is alleged, Rodis abused his trusted position as leader of the two churches to defraud hundreds of his parishioners of money and property designated for church use in the form of personal checks, money orders, certified checks, and cashier’s checks, and converted the monies and property for his own personal enrichment. Specifically, Rodis used the money and property intended for church use for his spouse and three biological children, whom he concealed by living approximately 50 miles from his church location. In addition, Rodis wired at least $515,231 of misappropriated parishioner contributions to the Philippines.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Richmond Division; the United States Postal Inspection Service, Richmond Division; and the Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Brian L. Whisler and G. Wingate Grant are prosecuting the case for the United States.

Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.