Church official accused of embezzling almost $54,000 from "Good Samaritan' funds in Florida

Charity starts at home.
Some folks take that adage a bit too far.
Deputies busted Robert Kondratick and accused the 67-year-old administrator of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in Venice of embezzling more than $50,000 from church's 'Good Samaritan Fund," money earmarked to help parishioners who have fallen on hard times, according to a news release from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
Church council members contacted the Sheriff’s Office at the end of January after discovering funds had been misused over a six-month period last year, the release stated.
Witnesses reported that Kondratick requested signed blank checks to pay what he had said were church expenses. But an investigation revealed he cashed 28 checks made out to “cash” to himself, totaling $53,950, according to the report.

His church paid him a salary of $3,673 per month -- plus he was reimbursed for medical insurance and had an automobile allowance totaling an additional $811 per month, according to the arrest affidavit.

When the church council confronted Kondratick about the missing monies this past January he allegedly said "...what do you want me to do? Work it off?" the arrest report stated.