A top monsignor in Brooklyn, Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, has been relieved of his administrative duties at a Williamsburg parish after a diocesan investigation revealed he transferred nearly $2 million of church money to law firms and accounts affiliated with Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief of staff, Frank Carone.
Gigantiello will remain the head of Our Lady of Mount Carmel–Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish but won’t have any administrative oversight. Bishop Robert Brennan stated that Gigantiello has been relieved due to “mishandling substantial church funds and interfering with parish administration.”
The investigation found that between 2019 and 2021, Gigantiello transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to bank accounts affiliated with Carone’s law firms and companies. These transfers were made without the diocese’s approval or necessary paperwork.
Gigantiello claimed that the transfers were investments that yielded big returns for his parish, but the diocese stated that it is still investigating additional transfers and a church credit card Gigantiello used for personal expenses. The investigation began after Gigantiello allowed pop singer Sabrina Carpenter to film a music video at the church.
The removal of the temporary administrator, Deacon Dean Dobbins, was also announced due to his use of racist language during private conversations held in the parish office. Gigantiello disputed this claim, stating that he had placed Dobbins there without consent and blaming the current bishop for targeting him over jealousy over his successes within the diocese.
Source: https://www.thecity.nyc/2024/11/18/brooklyn-diocese-monsignor-gigantiello-frank-carone