Pennsylvania Pastor who Rigged Raffle Probed for Gambling
Posted on: August 7, 2025, 03:20h.
Last updated on: August 7, 2025, 03:20h.
- Priest allegedly confessed to rigging raffle for cash prize.
- Investigators probe $300K church credit card spending.
- Lavish purchases raise concerns over gambling behavior.
A Catholic priest from Erie, Pa. who admitted to fixing a church raffle for a Chevy Corvette Stingray 1LT is facing a criminal investigation, and authorities are looking into his gambling habits and spending history.
The Rev. Ross R. Miceli, 42, known to his flock as Fr. Ross, is pastor of St. Jude the Apostle Church, which in December 2024 held the raffle to raise funds for the parish.
Tickets were $50 each, with the hope that 1K could be sold to raise $500K. The winner could choose between the sports car, worth $82K, or $50K in cash.
Ticket holders would be assigned random numbers by a computer, the competition rules stated. The winning four-digit number had to match the winning number in the Christmas Eve Pick 4 Pennsylvania Lottery draw.
Lucky ‘Winner’
In a post on its Facebook page on Christmas Day, St. Jude named the lucky winner as one Martin Anderson. Anderson, purportedly a resident of Detroit, opted to take the cash option, according to the Facebook post.
The only problem was Anderson did not exist. Miceli is accused of inventing the name and those of other secondary prize winners.
The Erie County District Attorney’s Office began investigating the priest after a whistleblower at St. Jude contacted Bishop Lawrence T. Persico with concerns.
The DA’s Office served a number of search warrants on St. Jude’s offices from mid-March. One of the warrants states that Miceli confessed in an interview with investigators to “publicly falsifying the results of the grand prize winner.”
He also admitted to moving the money from the raffle account to another account, also controled by St Jude.
GoErie reports that detectives are now looking into the pastor’s gambling and finances, including his acquisition of “a new Tesla, expensive electronics, high-end footwear, designer clothes and Disney collectibles,” according to new search warrants.
Miceli was the sole person in charge of St. Jude’s finances. Investigators are examining transactions the church made to pay American Express credit card bills of more than $300K between January 2024 and March 2025, per the warrants.
Not Charged
Miceli, who was named pastor of St Jude in July 2022, has not been charged with any crime. He will be transferred out of the parish on August 12 to assist priests in other parishes, according to the Catholic Diocese of Erie.
“The Diocese of Erie is aware of an active investigation involving St. Jude the Apostle Parish and its pastor, Fr. Ross Miceli,” the diocese said in a statement. “We are committed to transparency, and we are cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities. At this time, we cannot provide further information as the investigation is ongoing.”
Last Comments ( 5 )
"Tickets were $50 each, with the hope that 1K could be sold to raise $500K." Uh...$50 x 1,000 tickets is $50,000, not $500,000. They would have had to sell 10,000 tickets at $50 each, which seems highly unlikely. Is this a misprint, or further proof of the lack of math education in this country?
Pretty low, fixing the church raffle. $50 per person is a bad beat with NO chance to win. I’m sick of this transfer nonsense. How about accountability for a change. Talk about a “holy roller” this is not how to retain parishioners.
Larry, I know Miceli personally. He's a smug, pompous ass. But you know what's worse than him? Dumb internet atheists. Go crawl back into your fedora. Frankly, you two probably have a lot in common.
Jesus had 12 apostles. One of them betrayed Him. Didnt mean the Last Supper was invalid. IF he is guilty of those crimes then yes he should be held accountable but we need to also realize that gambling can be an addiction just like drugs and priests are not immune to the human condition but they are absolutely held to a higher standard when they chose to publically represent Jesus Christ.
He will get away with everything, never see the inside of a jail cell, and will be warmly welcomed back into the flock. Part one of this is already happening - the "Catholic Shuffle". Previously reserved for exclusive use by Priests who diddled young boys, the current iteration of the "Shuffle" is open to any members of the Catholic hierarchy who are facing credible charges of breaking the law. In many ways similar to money-laundering, Father Miceli will be shifted from location to location, and position to position, over the next couple of years until everything gets swept under the rug and memories fade. Then he'll be put in charge of another Parish and run another rigged raffle. Why? Because thievery, like pedophilia, is part of his DNA. No matter how many moves, how many different roles, or how much whitewashing takes place, at his core Father Miceli is a thief and will always be one. Part two of the plan is the public confession in which he'll say that he confessed his sins to God, and God has forgiven him. It's worked for every religiously-affiliated hypocrite in the past (see: Jim Bakker), and will continue to be the Catholic "Get Out Of Jail Free" card until the demise of organized religion.