Judge Denies Piroli’s Bid for Seized Money

Father David Dean Piroli, the Simi Valley priest once accused of stealing more than $50,000 from his former parishes, is not entitled to share in any of the $43,420 seized from his church room and office, a judge has ruled.

Ventura County Superior Court Judge Allan Steele said the money, much of it stuffed into collection envelopes, should go to the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The cash was seized after Piroli was charged with one count of grand theft and one count of embezzlement in 1992.

Of the money found in the room and office, Piroli claimed about $10,000 belonged to him.

The judge, who made his decision in a written ruling Tuesday, did give the suspended priest back the nearly $23,000 that remains in nine bank accounts in Piroli’s name. He had given him $10,000 from the bank accounts earlier.

Steele’s ruling on the return of the money all but ends the criminal case against the 38-year-old Piroli, which began nearly two years ago and resulted in a six-week trial and several dozen other court hearings.

Piroli was acquitted last month of an embezzlement charge by a Superior Court jury, which deadlocked 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal on a grand-theft charge.

During his trial, the defense maintained that a senior pastor framed Piroli by planting much of the money found in his room at St. Peter Claver in Simi Valley and in his church-owned car. The embezzlement charge stemmed from accusations against Piroli at Sacred Heart Church in Saticoy.

The judge did not formally dismiss the embezzlement charge. He has said he plans to do that after prosecutors and the defense decide on who gets some documents and other non-monetary property seized from Piroli.