Kenneth Gaughan, 43, pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing over $2 million from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and multiple pandemic relief funds aimed at helping small businesses stay afloat.
Mr. Gaughan admitted to fraudulently obtaining $2.1 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
He also embezzled over $400,000 from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., where he previously served as assistant superintendent.
Mr. Gaughan purchased a $300,000 yacht measuring over 30 feet long, a $1.13 million house and a $46,000 sports car.
“Mr. Gaughan was so emboldened by deceiving a church for several years he then turned his deception to the government, stealing funds that were meant to be a lifeline for struggling businesses and greedily using them to satisfy his own materialistic desires,” FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Sobocinski said.
Mr. Gaughan was arrested in August 2020 and pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Wire fraud and money laundering each carry a maximum of 10 years in prison.
He will be sentenced on June 15.
• Peter Santo can be reached at psanto@washingtontimes.com.
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