The Brooklyn Diocese is currently embroiled in a controversy involving Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, who has been removed from administrative duties at Our Lady of Mount Carmel–Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Williamsburg. This decision comes after an internal investigation led by Alvarez & Marsal, and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP that revealed unauthorized financial transactions totaling close to $2 million. These funds were transferred to law firm and entities connected to Frank Carone, a former chief of staff to Mayor Eric Adams, as Hoodline reports.
According to the same source, the transfers took place between 2019 and 2021 and lacked the necessary bishop's approval for transactions exceeding $30,000. Gigantiello, having been served a subpoena by the Eastern District of New York regarding the loans, defended his actions. "I got a subpoena to be a witness for the loan that was made, and I met with them and they thanked me for cooperating with them and that was it," Gigantiello told THE CITY, indicating that his testimony was part of the process.
Further complications have arisen with the monsignor's impressive real estate holdings totaling over $2 million, including a Hamptons house and a waterfront condo in Florida. Although no charges have been filed against Gigantiello, and there's no indication that his real estate investments are illegal, the optics amid the financial scrutiny have raised eyebrows. The New York Post revealed these details, while also noting that Gigantiello co-owns a Southampton property with another Brooklyn pastor, valued at more than $700,000.
The removal of Gigantiello from his administrative role adds to a series of investigations that have shaken City Hall and the NYPD, involving past fundraising activities linked to Adams. Notably, Gigantiello has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing in these federal probes, but his ties to the inquiry and related figures have brought the church's dealings with him under a cloud of suspicion. Parishioners, however, remember Gigantiello for his contributions to the church and his involvement in charity events for the city's needy. One of the parishioners standing by their pastor, as The New York Post reports, stated, "Monsignor Jamie has done nothing but good for this parish and he has done nothing but good for any parish that he’s been with."
