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A high-profile trial has ended in Poland against Father Włodzimierz G., a parish priest from Legnica, who embezzled over 1.2 million zlotys (2,900 BTC) allocated for repairs and restoration and transferred it to the account of a dubious cryptocurrency company. The priest kept the rest of the money for himself.
According to the prosecutor's office, in July 2022, the priest received a state grant and donations from parishioners for the reconstruction of the basilica and church. But instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, he transferred a significant portion of these proceeds — over PLN 1 million — to the account of a foreign entity that promised returns on investments in cryptocurrency. He decided to make money from speculation.
Bitcoin speculation involves buying and selling cryptocurrencies based on predictions of future prices rather than their actual value. Speculators focus on short-term profits, trying to take advantage of market fluctuations over hours, and sometimes even minutes. And ordinary people do not want to be left out. The factor that motivates such decisions is the fear of missing out. Perhaps that is why, under the guise of a spiritual mission, the priest turned the temple into a launching pad for his own crypto speculation.
When a financial audit revealed gross violations, the Polish prosecutor's office opened a case of embezzlement. The auditors clearly recorded transfers that had nothing to do with construction work. At the same time, Father Włodzimierz refused to give any testimony and did not admit his guilt in the crypto scam.
This case became one of the most high-profile financial scandals in the recent history of the church, not only in Poland. Prior to this case, there are other examples in the top three crypto scams that demonstrate how religion can be used for financial manipulation: Pastor Elijah McCoy, who, through the company “Maccoin,” promised parishioners and investors large profits from cryptocurrency investments; 2. Prophet Bushiri, a popular television preacher who urged believers to invest in a crypto project that was supposedly “blessed by God”; 3. Jacob Heller, a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who created a crypto pyramid scheme by exploiting the trust of the religious community.
The District Court in Legnica found the priest guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison, a fine of PLN 6,000, and the obligation to compensate the Ministry of Culture for over 2.457 BTC (PLN 1 million) and the municipality for PLN 15,000. Although the lawyers argued that the priest was a victim of fraudsters and acted without criminal intent, the investigation provided the court with recordings of conversations and transcripts proving that Father Włodzimierz was aware of the risks and knowingly made the transfers.