Boeke sentenced for church thefts

MINSTER - The former director of religious education at two area Catholic churches was sentenced to 360 days in jail, five years of community control sanctions and ordered to repay $209,556 on two theft charges.

Judge Frederick Pepple also ordered Jane M. Boeke, 57, of Minster to amend her tax returns within a year to reflect the added income at Boeke's sentencing Friday in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court.
  Boeke, surrounded by family and friends, had a hard time keeping her emotions intact as tears flowed down her face.

She told Pepple that her "primary goal in life" is to repay all the money. Boeke apologized to Pepple, the church, her family and the community, saying she was sorry she had brought shame upon herself.

"This is not the person I was brought up to be," Boeke said. "Nothing justifies what I did. I tried to pay it back and I want to pay it back."

"How can you pay it back when you don't even know exactly how much you took?" Pepple asked. "You didn't keep track. It's hard for me to accept that you wanted to repay it."

"You don't know how much you took because you spent it all," he said. "You also allowed the church to pay for your master's degree. All the while you were stealing their money."

Pepple also told Boeke he was concerned that she seemed to minimize her responsibility during the presentence investigation.

Calling it a "tough" decision, Pepple took a 20-minute recess before sentencing Boeke.

"Everyone here is sorry you're here," Pepple said. "But, we're all here because of what you did. If you've conned anyone into believing you didn't do this, they are mistaken."

Boeke had been director of religious education for 19 years at St. Augustine in Minster and St. Joseph in Egypt until she was fired in June 2013.

A change in parish bookkeeping personnel in early 2013 led to discovery of discrepancies in some accounts. Church officials hired a forensic accountant and contacted the Minster Police Department. The investigation was then handed over to the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Boeke pleaded guilty in September to two fourth-degree felony counts of theft. The charges covered the theft of a total of $190,000. Her restitution also includes $19,556 to pay for the forensic accountant.

"We all struggled how to resolve this case," prosecutor Ed Pierce said. "I can't say I'm satisfied, but I can't say I'm unsatisfied."

Boeke's attorney Ralph Bauer called the sentence fair.

"I think the judge put in a lot of time and thought in making his decision," Bauer said.

"It is not for us to say whether a particular jail sentence is appropriate," Dan Andriacco, Cincinnati Archdiocese director of communications, said. "That is the role of the justice system and we are content to leave it there,"

However, Andriacco added church officials believe Boeke took a total of $220,000. Church officials want full restitution and will sue Boeke, if necessary, he said.

Boeke was remanded into the custody of an Auglaize County sheriff's officer to begin her sentence at the Auglaize County Detention Center.