Defendant Pleads in Theft from Greek Orthodox Church

The District Attorney’s Office White Collar Unit secured a conviction today against Constantine Dimitri Christodoulou, 48, for Theft over $60,000 stemming from an embezzlement scheme by Christodoulou when he served as treasurer for St. George Greek Orthodox Church. In a plea today in front of Judge Bob McGee, Christodoulou pled guilty and received a ten-year sentence. Under the terms of the agreement, Christodoulou must serve one year in jail with the balance of his sentence supervised by state probation. Christodoulou must also pay the balance of restitution owed to the church in the amount of $224,675.

Assistant District Attorney William Bright explained to Judge McGee that between December 30, 2010, and February 21, 2015, Christodoulou served as the treasurer for St. George Greek Orthodox Church. In his capacity as treasurer, Christodoulou wrote checks to himself from church accounts that were not authorized by church officials. The checks were deposited in Christodoulou’s business and personal accounts and were not used to benefit the church in any way. During this period of time, Christodoulou misappropriated a total of $415,950. Christodoulou admitted his scheme when confronted during the church’s internal investigation. That investigation cost the church an additional $3,725. Since the discovery of the crime, Christodoulou has paid the church $145,000 toward the total restitution, and the church recovered $50,000 from their insurance company. The $224,675 ordered in restitution reflects the outstanding balance to cover all money lost by the church. Christodoulou will surrender himself to begin serving his one-year split confinement on January 22.

“One of our main concerns as prosecutors is to make sure the victims of crime are made whole again,” said DA Charme Allen.”Under the terms of this agreement, we made sure Christodoulou will serve time in custody for his crime and will be supervised upon his release. Most importantly, we have retained jurisdiction over the case to make sure Christodoulou pays his restitution and the church is made whole.”

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.