There are a lot of layers to this: a Brooklyn parish priest who previously made headlines for allowing a pop singer to use the church’s altar as the set for a racy music video, has now been relieved of administrative duties after an audit found he gave $1.9 million of parish funds to indicted New York Mayor Eric Adams’ former chief of staff.
Between 2019 and 2021, according to the Associated Press, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello sent the money to funds controlled by former Adams’ aide Frank Carone, who has since returned more than $1 million of the funds plus interest. The diocese had previously suspended Gigantiello after the monsignor gave pop singer Sabrina Carpenter permission to use the church in the video for her song “Feathers.” In both cases, the diocese said the monsignor was suspended for not using official channels to get permission, which makes one wonder what paperwork one needs to fill out to properly writhe at an altar?