Joseph Manzi, finance director who bought Cadillac SUV with church’s credit card, pleads guilty

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Joseph Manzi, the former director of finance, operations, and development for the Church of Saint Leo the Great in Lincroft, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $1 million from the church after using the congregation’s credit card like his “personal piggy bank” to splurge on gifts for himself, including a Cadillac SUV.

A release from the Office of New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said Manzi, 78, of Atlantic Highlands, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Jill O’Malley in Monmouth County to one count of second-degree theft by unlawful taking and one count of third-degree filing a fraudulent tax return.

He is now facing a possible sentence of five years in New Jersey state prison. He will also have to pay restitution of $1.2 million to the church and $73,032 in unpaid taxes to the New Jersey State Treasury, according to a plea deal.

“The defendant admitted in court that he used his position of trust to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church,” Davenport said in a statement. “He did so to fund a lavish lifestyle, and he is now facing the consequences of his greed.”

A complaint filed against Manzi in October 2025 said church officials only discovered his crimes after his employment with them ended in June last year. A review of the church’s credit card found Manzi made unauthorized charges for his personal benefit.

In addition to the Cadillac SUV, church officials found payments for vehicle repairs, financing, luxury clothing, and personal home repairs. He also used the church’s credit card to cover medical and dental expenses, fishing trips, and splurged on sports event tickets, including for New York Yankees games.

"Instead of managing and overseeing the administration of St. Leo's financial dealings, including the managing of its business operating account in accordance with his fiduciary duty, Manzi systematically, secretly, and dishonestly utilized parish funds for his own personal benefit," the complaint states. “Charges on those cards were paid directly out of St. Leo's operating account. Pursuant to St. Leo's policies, which Manzi was aware of, St. Leo's business credit cards were to be used for business purposes only.”

A preliminary investigation found that Manzi embezzled $673,874, while a further investigation identified additional stolen funds, tax fraud and evasion.

“The defendant admitted that he enriched himself with church funds, and will be sentenced accordingly,” said Theresa Hilton, director of the Division of Criminal Justice of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

Manzi, who is a graduate of Villanova University, describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as “a high-performance individual with expertise in diversified financial, administrative, and operations positions.”

“Experience in all phases of accounting, operations, human resources, office administration, and systems and computer usage,” he states.