Former Garnerville Priest Accused Of Inappropriate Behavior

BRONXVILLE, NY — A Catholic priest in Bronxville has been removed from his parish after allegations of inappropriate behavior with a minor. It's his second run-in with the law in the Hudson Valley.

Father Thomas Kreiser, 51, has been suspended from the assignment he started last year at St. Joseph's Church, and will not perform any priestly functions during the investigation, said Joseph Zwilling, Archdiocese of New York Director of Communications.

"The allegation has been handed over to the Westchester County District Attorney's Office," Zwilling told Patch. "The Archdiocese and the parish have pledged to fully cooperate."

Helen Jonsen, public information officer for the Westchester DA, said her office would not comment on the status of an investigation in response to media inquiries.

Kreiser, a former priest at St. Patrick’s Church in Yorktown from 2011 to 2017, got in trouble about a decade ago when he was assigned to St. Gregory Barbarigo Church in Garnerville. In 2011, he pleaded guilty to stealing $26,000 from the parish, money which went mostly to online gambling.

In Rockland, Kreiser misused an American Express card for St. Gregory Barbarigo Church from March to June 2010. He had been pastor of the church since 2008. The money went to pay for personal expenses including online gambling. He was sentenced to five years probation and made restitution.

SEE: Ex-Pastor Charged With Stealing $25000 In Church Funds

PHOTO: Rev. Thomas Kreiser in 2010/ Rockland County District Attorney's Office