When I broke the story in June 2025 that the Rev. Dr. Christos Christakis was fired as priest of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Buffalo after he was accused of diverting $365,000 in church funds for personal use, a church lawyer explained it in part by pointing to the “significant medical issues” of Christakis’ spouse.
The attorney also stressed that the priest expressed remorse, that he had paid back the funds and that there would be no criminal prosecution of the matter.
But federal prosecutors didn’t buy that version of events. Instead, they launched their own investigation and this week charged Christakis with bank fraud, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Buffalo and several media outlets.
Additionally, the amount of church donations that were allegedly stolen by the priest to fund what prosecutors describe as his “lavish lifestyle” has now risen to $450,000, court documents show.
The criminal complaint filed this week by the federal government has some eye-opening details and casts serious doubt that the money Christakis allegedly took was for medical bills.
Continue reading at Charlie Specht’s Substack