CLEVELAND — A stretch in federal prison awaits Anton Zgoznik, a former accountant for the Cleveland Catholic Diocese who was convicted Oct. 2 of paying kickbacks to a church official and defrauding the diocese.
A jury in U.S. District Court returned guilty verdicts on all 15 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, mail fraud and obstruction of justice. Defense attorneys and prosecutors declined to speculate on the range of prison time that Zgoznik faces when he is sentenced in February.
Zgoznik, 40, testified that he paid monthly checks totaling $784,000 to his boss, Joseph Smith, as a bonus to the former chief financial officer and top lawyer at the diocese. Smith, 50, is scheduled to stand trial on similar charges.
Share with others: