A businessman stole federal dollars from a charity used to help poor people in Michigan.

GROSSE POINTE PARK, MI — A Grosse Pointe Park businessman pleaded guilty on Wednesday for stealing funds from a religious organization, Acting U.S. Attorney Saima S. Mohsin said.

John R. Lynch, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for embezzling $248,000 from the Holy Cross organization, a large charitable organization based in Clinton, Michigan, a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Holy Cross was founded in 1948 and receives federal funds to provide welfare services to disadvantaged children and adolescents, behavioral health services to adolescents and adults, and a number of support services to the homeless throughout Southeast Michigan.

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Lynch became the CFO of the Holy Cross organization in March 2012 and then its CEO in January 2015, the news release said citing court records.

During the plea hearing, Lynch admitted that as Holy Cross’s CEO, he used Holy Cross funds to pay for repairs to his own cars, install a new roof on his house, pay down his personal mortgage balance and make payments on a personal American Express account, the news release said.

In addition, Lynch used his Holy Cross corporate credit card to buy himself personal goods and services, as well as using organization funds to pay his own consulting company and to provide security for another business he owns, the news release said.

A sentencing date has been set for Jan. 18.