Source: The National Herald
Former Executive Director of the Archdiocese Jerry Dimitriou. (Photo by GOA/Dimitrios Panagos)
NEW YORK – Jerry Dimitriou, past Executive Director of Administration of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA), has issued a statement responding to a news release by the GOA. The latter release referred to Dimitriou’s being sentenced by the U.S. District Court – Southern District of New York on August 2, 2023, to two years of probation, four months of house incarceration, and over one hundred hours of community service for charges related to personal tax evasion while he served at the Archdiocese.
The full text of his statement follows:
August 5, 2023 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Regarding the recent developments in the case of Jerry Dimitriou, it is important to address the misleading statements presented by The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Greek Press. In the fall of 2022, Mr. Dimitriou pled guilty to failure to pay $17,833.32 in personal taxes, and on August 2, 2023, he received a sentence of probation and 4 months of home detention for such failure.
However, it is crucial to clarify that the original charges made against Mr. Dimitriou were dropped by the Federal Prosecutors, a fact conveniently omitted in the Archdiocese’s press release and the Greek Press coverage. Instead, they have chosen to focus on unrelated losses paid by an insurance company to the Archdiocese, which have no relevance to Mr. Dimitriou’s plea and sentencing.
In doing so, the Archdiocese and the Greek Press have failed to accurately report the facts surrounding Mr. Dimitriou’s sentencing, perpetuating inaccuracies and defamatory statements about his character and his 27 years of dedicated service to The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America under the administration of three Archbishops.
It is essential to seek transparency and truthfulness in reporting such cases, as misrepresentations can lead to misunderstandings and damage the reputations of individuals involved. The public deserves accurate information to form informed opinions, and it is imperative that the media and organizations take responsibility for presenting the facts objectively and responsibly.
END OF J. DIMITRIOU’S STATEMENT
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Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Announces Guilty Plea and Sentencing of Former Executive Director Jerry Dimitriou – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Court Issues Verdict for Jerry Dimitriou, Lawyer and GOA Respond – The National Herald
1 Comment
Mr. Dimitriou served the Archdiocese faithfully for many years. He followed the directions of archbishops and others in leadership positions who escaped culpability for massive mismanagement of the Archdiocese and its institutions.
Examples of Archdiocesan malpractice include Hellenic College/Holy Cross, whose accreditation and financial stability are always in doubt. Another is the ungodly cost overruns at the vanity project at the St. Nicholas Shrine in NYC.
Mr. Dimitriou seems to have been chosen to take the fall on a minor tax case that should have resulted in a civil fine instead of criminal charges in order to deflect attention to others who bear greater responsibility for years of mismanagement.
The idea that the Ecumenical Patriarch and Patriarchate in Turkey and the Archdiocese and the Archbishop in New York should be entrusted with managing the affairs of Orthodox Christians in America is absurd.
Parishes have proven to be the best managed Orthodox institutions in America. The more decentralized the better. Even the Metropolises should oversee that work of parishes with a “light hand”.
The more Archbishop Elpidophoros seeks to increase his control over the Archdiocese, the more resistance the people in the pews.. and the clergy… should exert.
Ideally, all Orthodox Christians in America will unite under a single synod of Bishops, each of whom will be close to the parishes they serve. A united, Autocephalous, growing American Orthodox Church can better serve the needs of the faithful as well as the needs of Mother Churches.