Former Warwick Priest Accused Of Stealing From Church

WARWICK, RI — The former pastor of a Catholic parish in Warwick is accused of stealing church funds for personal use. Steven Matthew Glover, 42, was charged with credit card fraud, larceny and obtaining money under false pretenses.

Glover was a priest from 2004 to 2019, most recently serving as pastor at St. Rose and Clement Parish in Warwick. He left the priesthood in 2019 for personal, unrelated reasons.

According to Rhode Island State Police, the Diocese of Providence filed a complaint with the department's financial crimes unit in November, accusing Glover of committing fraud before he left the church. Glover is accused of using his personal credit card to buy thousands of dollars worth of items, including a television, laptop, furniture and a video game system, then reimbursing himself using St. Rose and Clement church funds, as well as using the church credit card to furnish his Coventry home. The fraudulent purchases totaled approximately $40,000.

On Tuesday, officers searched the house in Coventry and seized several items that supposedly belong to the church. Glover was arrested and brought to state police headquarters, where he was arraigned by a justice of the peace on one count of obtaining money under false pretenses, one count of larceny over $1,500, and fraudulent use of a credit card. All the charges are felonies. He was later released on $5,000 personal recognizance and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 16.

If found guilty of all charges, Glover could face up to 23 years in prison and $13,000 in fines: 10 years each and a $5,000 fine for the larceny and obtaining money under false pretenses charges and up to three years in prison and a $3,000 fine for the credit card fraud charge.