Montco Church Employee Stole $1.1 Million From Parish: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — An employee of a Montgomery County church stole more than $1 million from the parish, the district attorney's office said.

Sean Sweeney, 60, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, was taken into custody on multiple felony charges related to the theft of more than $1.1 million from Saint Matthias Church in Bala Cynwyd, police said.

The investigation into Sweeney began in December 2024 when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Investigations referred a theft investigation to the Montgomery County Detective Bureau regarding Sweeney.

Sweeney was the Saint Matthias Church business manager from 2017 until his firing in 2024.

Investigators reviewed the church’s business and bank records, and interviewed numerous clergy members and others affiliated with the church.

Through their investigations, detectives learned Sweeney was operating two companies, Merrion Square Capital and Merrion Square Advisors, during his time as the church’s business manager, the DA's office said. In that role, Sweeney was responsible for providing the church’s payroll records processing company, PrimePay, with records for who should be paid and how much, according to the DA's office.

From 2018 through 2024, PrimePay paid by direct deposit $1,134,906.35 into bank accounts owned and controlled by Sweeney, authorities said. Bank records show deposited money received by Sweeney was used to pay his personal expenditures, including educational tuition, vehicle-related payments, and vacation costs.

Sweeney surrendered to Montgomery County Detectives Thursday. He was later released on $100,000 bail. He was also ordered to surrender his passport, have no contact with employees connected with the case, and is not allowed at or near Saint Mattias Church.

A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 3.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Max Bennett