A former priest at an Upstate New York church faces federal bank fraud charges after allegedly stealing approximately $450,000 from a fund intended to help people in need, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Tuesday.
Christos Christakis, 57, of Cincinnati, was charged by criminal complaint with bank fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine.
Christakis served as a priest at the Hellenic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Buffalo beginning in March 2007.
In 2011, he inserted a provision into the church’s bylaws that gave him complete control over the Priest Discretionary Fund, according to the complaint.
The fund operates similarly to a petty cash account, allowing priests to provide small direct assistance payments and financial support to those in need.
The parish council typically oversees such funds with limits on balances, usually less than $1,500 at any given time.
A whistleblower complaint filed in March 2025 with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America about financial irregularities at the church prompted an internal investigation.
During that investigation, Christakis admitted to using parish funds for his own personal benefit between 2018 and 2025.
Federal investigators analyzed the discretionary fund and found that between January 2018 and July 31, 2025, approximately 725 checks were deposited into the account.
Only 11 of those checks were specifically designated as donations to the fund.
At least one $7,000 check was written from the fund to pay Christakis’s personal American Express bill, according to the complaint.
Investigators also examined Christakis’s personal bank account, which he held jointly with his spouse, along with his children’s accounts.
They compared cash deposits in those accounts to the timing and amounts of cash withdrawals from the discretionary fund.
The analysis found approximately $338,660 in cash deposited into the joint account.
Christakis’ and his spouse’s known employment and lifestyle would not have generated this level of cash, according to investigators.
A separate analysis of spending levels and bank accounts showed that non-cash sources of income were insufficient to support the family’s lifestyle.
Once cash deposits were added to their budget, the joint account was able to break even each year.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.