Long Island Woman Indicted In Connection To $450K Church Embezzlement: Prosecutors

MINEOLA, NY —A woman has been arraigned on charges stemming from allegedly embezzling more than $450,000 while working for the Diocese of Rockville Centre and St. William the Abbot Church.

Iris Gomez, 43, of East Islip, faces counts of grand larceny and criminal tax fraud, prosecutors said.

Between June 2019 and Jan. 2022, Gomez worked as an assistant to a pastor at the Roman Catholic Diocese and St. William the Abbot Church in Seaford.

"Over more than two years of employment, this defendant allegedly used the trust afforded her through her position as assistant to the pastor to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and later, from St. William the Abbot Church. Gomez allegedly deposited checks into the bank account of a limited liability corporation, concealed her control of the company and falsely claimed it provided various services to the religious institutions,” said Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly.

Gomez pleaded not guilty and remains released to pretrial services. She is due back in court on August 18.

She's accused of embezzling more than $35,000 from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre and over $425,000 from St. William the Abbot Church.

Gomez was terminated from St. William the Abbot on Feb. 4, 2022.

If convicted, she faces up to three to 15 years in prison.