Italian Priest Gets 3 Years in Prison for Stealing Church's Money for Drugs, Gay Orgies - Report

The money was reportedly donated by the faithful to help the poorest members of the community the priest was serving, but he kept it for himself instead and used it to organize the drug-fueled orgies.

An Italian priest nicknamed the "pusher priest" was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for stealing parish finances for absolutely ungodly needs, breaking several commandments.

According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera's report, Father Francesco Spagnesi, 40, negotiated a plea deal in which charges of narcotics dealing, trafficking, and misappropriation were upheld.

But he is still lucky because the priest, who reportedly failed to inform the several male partners with whom he had unprotected sex that he was HIV-positive, managed to get accusations of attempted grievous harm against him dropped.

The father was taking antiretroviral medicines, according to the defendant's lawyers, and the defendant had always maintained that he informed his partners about his HIV status. Although the Italian media indicated that the drugs he supplied at the orgies were intended for rape.

According to the report, Spagnesi will spend part of his term in a therapeutic community, where he will be treated for his drug addiction while simultaneously performing community service.

The not-so-holy father, who has expressed regret for his conduct, will also reportedly be required to repay the approximately 300,000 euros he stole from his parish.

His sex partner, 40-year-old Alessio Regina, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison for involvement in the buying and selling of cocaine, according to the report.

Serpent-tempted Spagnesi was ordained as a parish priest at the age of just 27, and he admitted to experimenting with drugs around a decade ago.

The Diocese of Prato in the Tuscany region removed him from his ecclesiastical duties when the story broke out in September.

"I wanted to be the shepherd of my faithful, guide them towards the ways of the Lord, and I ended up in vice and perdition," he is quoted as telling the newspaper after the verdict.

According to the investigation, Spagnesi's parties usually included himself, his drug-dealing roommate, and at least one other individual whom they met through gay dating sites. The weekly gatherings, on the other hand, occasionally drew significantly larger crowds of up to 20 or 30 people.

The partying couple allegedly got caught importing a large shipment of drugs into Italy, bought with parishioners' money.

However, there are other examples in the world where the craving for the heavenly successfully prevailed over the carnal, such as when a popular strip club in Alaska ceded its premises to the followers of Jesus Christ.