Priest accused of taking $250K from 'grandmas' goes on leave of absence, lawyer says

A lawyer for the Rev. Alex Orozco called the priest's leave of absence a mutual decision

A Roman Catholic priest under investigation for allegedly accepting more than $250,000 in cash and gifts from elderly parishioners at a Short Hills church has taken a leave of absence from his new parish while the criminal probe unfolds, his attorney said.

The Rev. Alex Orozco -- now parochial vicar at the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park, Bergen County -- is accused of lying to his former parishioners and taking advantage of their generosity by repeatedly sharing stories of financial distress, NJ Advance Media reported earlier this month.

The Archdiocese of Newark had previously said Orozco would remain in ministry while the investigation continued. On Tuesday, however, Orozco's lawyer, Robert J. Degroot, said his client was stepping aside for an undetermined period of time.

The Rev. Alex Orozco said it was a mistake to take cash and gifts from parishioners when he served at St. Rose of Lima Church in Short Hills. He is now assigned to the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park. (Facebook photo)

"By mutuality, until all this stuff comes into some perspective, he is taking a leave," said Degroot, who is representing Orozco at no cost. "I don't know where he's going to be staying, but he's not going to be working in ministry until these things are sorted out."

Orozco, 37, had been at the Midland Park parish for just over a year. Ordained in May 2012, he was immediately placed at St. Rose of Lima, considered a plum position in the four-county archdiocese.

It was not clear if the leave of absence came in the face of pressure from the archdiocese or from the Church of the Nativity's new pastor, the Rev. George Klybos, who is due to arrive at the parish Thursday.

Klybos could not be reached for comment, and a spokesman for the archdiocese said Tuesday evening he could not immediately confirm Degroot's statement.

Whatever its cause, the decision was met with relief and some satisfaction among those who say Orozco betrayed his position by enriching himself at the expense of parishioners.

"Someone should get credit for at least taking him out of the parish where he could target these elderly people," said Thomas Brady, whose late cousin, Patricia Brady, gave Orozco $25,000 after the priest asked her to help him buy a vacation home in the Poconos. Patricia Brady, a retired clerk, died in October 2014 at 84.

Orozco acknowledged to NJ Advance Media last month that he accepted the money for a house but used it for other purposes, saying he "helped many people" in his native Colombia.

Calling his actions a "mistake," the priest said he also took cash and other items -- including a large-screen TV, downpayments for vehicles, airplane tickets and furniture -- from an elderly widow in the parish. That woman told NJ Advance Media she spent more than $125,000 on Orozco before she realized she was being misled.

Orozco said he did not ask for the money in most cases, characterizing himself as a man besieged by offers.

The Rev. Alex Orozco, right, poses in a photo on New Year's Eve last year with Juancho Munoz Montoya, a former seminarian at Seton Hall University and friend from Colombia. (Facebook photo)

"People came to me and said, 'Father, do you need something? Father, do you need anything?'" Orozco said. "Always, always always. ... I try to be very open to people. I try to be the best of myself. They want to embrace me, helping me."

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the case previously confirmed the widow's account of her spending. The official, who was not authorized to speak for attribution, said on Tuesday the investigation was continuing.

Kathryn Metcalfe, a St. Rose parishioner, said she and others at the church had been frustrated by what she called the archdiocese's inaction on Orozco, who was reported to the prosecutor's office late last year.

"I think it would be fair to say that I was disappointed the diocese didn't act sooner to protect parishioners from alleged criminal activity," Metcalfe said.

She said she was especially troubled by one of Orozco's comments in the Oct. 1 NJ Advance Media report. The story quoted him as saying he had spoken with co-adjutor Archbishop Bernard Hebda about the investigation and that Hebda replied, "Don't worry. We are going to help you with this."

Hebda, who is temporarily overseeing the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, did not respond to a request for comment last week.

"That hit a nerve in the parish, and a lot of people reacted to it," Metcalfe said, suggesting Hebda should have taken swift action. "That kind of comment is inappropriate and should not go without consequence."

At the Church of the Nativity, the first hint that Orozco might not remain in ministry came on Sunday, when, for the first time in nearly a year, he failed to appear in a weekly video posted on the church's website and Facebook page.

The video was instead recorded by a layperson in the parish.

The message: Giving up wealth to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Mark Mueller may be reached at mmueller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkJMueller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.