Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Announces Guilty Plea and Sentencing of Former Executive Director Jerry Dimitriou
NEW YORK, NY (August 3, 2023) – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announces the guilty plea and sentencing of Jerome “Jerry” Dimitriou, its former Executive Director of Administration. This concludes a lengthy legal process that was initiated by the Archdiocese in late 2017 when it became aware of financial irregularities and self-reported to governmental authorities in the State of New York.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service subsequently conducted an investigation with the full cooperation of the Archdiocese and brought criminal charges against two former Archdiocesan employees, Mr. Dimitriou and George Papadakos, the Archdiocese’s former Director of Finance, who reported to Mr. Dimitriou. The investigation culminated in felony guilty pleas from both Mr. Papadakos and Mr. Dimitriou.
The Archdiocese response to the unfathomable betrayal of trust by these two employees was swift and resolute. In addition to cooperating with the authorities on the investigation, the Archdiocese successfully filed an insurance claim under its crime policy to recover more than $1 million of losses associated with Mr. Dimitriou and Mr. Papadakos. The Archdiocese has also taken a number of steps to prevent any similar incidents from ever occurring again.
First, the Archdiocese has implemented strong internal controls over financial transactions that reflect the highest standards of integrity and security. This includes: the creation of three full-time positions (Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and General Counsel), and a Standing Audit Committee. Second, the Archdiocese has established a centralized third-party platform for whistleblowers to file allegations of violations of Archdiocesan policy or law, such as financial misconduct. That platform, located at https://goarch.ethicspoint.com/ is nationwide and includes the Archdiocese, its Metropolises and all its parishes. Finally, under His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, there is an ongoing process to revise the Archdiocese's structure to provide for a stronger, more coordinated form of governance with transparency, compliance, and accountability at its core.
Archbishop Elpidophoros, whose tenure began well after the criminal acts of these employees, expressed gratitude that the legal process was finally over. In addition, His Eminence noted “With Mr. Dimitriou’s guilty plea, a painful chapter in the Archdiocese’s history is now over, and the Archdiocese can set its sights on a future that reflects our shared values of community and faith.”
