A former Kansas priest, Father Richard Storey, has been accused of using a parish credit card to pay for vacations, cruises, travel, shopping and personal medical expenses while serving at Curé of Ars church in Leawood, Kansas. Prosecutors say the total suspicious spending reached more than $159,000 between 2021 and 2025.
According to court records, Storey turned himself in to police on May 23, was released on $25,000 bail, pleaded not guilty on June 2, and is due back in court on July 15. He is charged with theft of property or services valued at more than $100,000. The allegations surfaced after he resigned in September 2025 amid an unrelated criminal investigation, which triggered an internal review by the Archdiocese of Kansas City before the matter was handed to Leawood police.
The affidavit says the parish card paid for more than $77,000 in cruises alone. One July 2023 cruise included a cash withdrawal of more than $23,000 that was categorized as a casino cash advance, and another cruise showed a withdrawal of more than $25,000. Investigators also found more than $27,000 in travel charges to cities including London, Paris, Dublin and New York, plus other destinations.
The review identified more than $11,000 in spending on prescriptions, medical treatment, eyeglasses, dental work and weight-loss care, nearly $6,000 on clothing and shopping, and about $25,000 paid toward Storey’s personal credit card. The affidavit also says he made “donations” to the church using the church’s own card, which did not bring in new money but could inflate reported giving, and that some personal charges were disguised within other transactions. Church officials called the revelations “very painful news” for Catholics, while Archbishop Shawn McKnight said the case must run its course and Storey is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court or in church proceedings.
