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A former diocesan employee pled guilty in Missouri last to stealing more than $150,000 from a Catholic scholarship fund by illicitly buying and misusing gift cards.
A former IRS investigator told The Pillar that theft-by-gift-card is a problem on the rise, and requires careful attention to address.
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Jeremy Lillig, a former employee of the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph, pled guilty in a federal court hearing last week to one count of wire fraud.
According to the plea agreement arranged with prosecutors, Lilling misused his diocesean-issued credit card to purchase between 2018 and 2021 more than $150,000 in gift cards.
Between 2017 and 2023, Lilling was the director of stewardship for the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph and the executive director of the Bright Futures Fund, a nonprofit providing financial assistance for students to attend three urban Catholic schools in Kansas City.
Prosecutors said Lillig took grant money given to the Bright Futures Fund and used it to purchase more than 400 Visa gift cards, submitting falsified expense reports to hide his actions.
Lilling was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 28, 2025 on one count of wire fraud. He was arrested
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