A 69-year-old former priest who once led several Pittsburgh-area Ukrainian Catholic churches is facing nearly a dozen felony charges after Pennsylvania investigators say he siphoned almost $750,000 from three parishes, the Knights of Columbus, and his own mother. Gregory Madeya was arrested in Vero Beach, Florida, on August 14 and now awaits extradition back to Pennsylvania to face the charges out of Jeannette, in Westmoreland County.
According to CBS Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office says Madeya misappropriated more than $319,000 from multiple church-related people and entities, on top of more than $230,000 pulled from his mother's investment accounts. Attorney General Dave Sunday did not mince words about the alleged scheme, saying, “It is unconscionable to see a supposed man of God exploiting not only the churches he served, but his own mother.” Sunday added that Madeya abused the trust of those around him and left them to recover from mammoth financial losses.
The case traces back to a joint investigation launched by state attorney general agents and local police in February 2023, according to TribLIVE. That probe began as a narcotics investigation after officers discovered more than 100 stamp bags with heroin residue, 22 hypodermic needles, and glass pipes discarded in trash outside Madeya's West Mifflin residence. What started as a drug case quickly widened into a sprawling financial investigation.
A Housemate, a Mustang, and Missing Collection Money
Criminal complaint records described by the same outlet show Madeya's housemate admitted that Madeya bought him a $35,500 Ford Mustang in cash, covered hotel stays, and gave him access to parish accounts. Text messages cited in those records reportedly indicate Madeya planned to use church collection money to pay off the housemate's debts.
State prosecutors allege the pattern of theft stretches back to 2012, with misappropriated funds allegedly funneled into gambling, lavish vacations, and a luxury vehicle, per the same outlet's reporting. Investigators also say Madeya sold a gold chalice to a jeweler for nearly $20,000 while representing a church, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Family Money and a Six-Figure Tax Bill
The allegations extend beyond church walls and into Madeya's own family. His brother told state investigators that Madeya assumed power of attorney over their mother and liquidated her investment accounts without paying taxes, leaving more than $250,000 in unpaid liabilities owed to the IRS, according to TribLIVE's review of the case.
Search warrants executed on Madeya's electronic devices turned up photos of parish debit cards, church financial records, and drug-related messages, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office says. Investigators also recovered discarded offering envelopes from his trash, while parish witnesses independently reported missing donation money and unrecorded fees.
A Long Career in Shrinking Parishes
Madeya served as a priest for multiple Pittsburgh-area Ukrainian Catholic churches over the years. Official assignment records show he was appointed administrator of Assumption of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Latrobe in October 2018, after previously serving as pastor of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Pittsburgh and McKeesport.
He was also a familiar figure amid the decline of the region's historic Ukrainian Catholic community, having officiated the final Mass when SS. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Wilmerding closed in October 2013, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Church authorities moved against Madeya well before the criminal case caught up with him: the Saint Josaphat Eparchy in Parma, Ohio, issued a formal decree suspending him on February 7, 2024, barring him from celebrating public or private sacraments or presenting himself as a cleric. That suspension came roughly two and a half years before his arrest.
Regional Precedent for Clergy Theft Cases
Madeya's case echoes another recent Western Pennsylvania clergy prosecution. Former Washington County Greek Orthodox priest George Athanasiou was sentenced in February 2025 to house arrest and full restitution after pleading guilty to felony theft for embezzling $155,000 from parish donation checks to cover a gambling addiction, as reported by the Observer-Reporter.
Under Pennsylvania law, the lead charge Madeya faces — dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities — is graded as a first-degree felony, carrying maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison, mandatory fines up to $100,000 or double the value of the stolen funds, and civil monetary penalties, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It remains unclear when Madeya will be brought back to Pennsylvania, and open questions remain about whether civil asset forfeiture proceedings will be pursued to recover the stolen funds and how the affected parishes and his family will resolve the outstanding tax and restitution debts.
