Ottawa priest weeps as he apologizes for fraud

CTV Ottawa:
Joanne Schnurr, Reporter @JoanneCTV
Published Wednesday, January 22, 2014 3:07PM EST
Last Updated Wednesday, January 22, 2014 6:34PM EST

Ottawa Priest Father Joe LeClair begged a judge for forgiveness today, saying that his theft and gambling problem had
dishonored the church and priesthood.  LeClair said he was unable to control himself and asked the judge to keep him out of
jail.  LeClair looked visibly shaken as he left the courthouse this morning, a shadow of his former self.  His fall from grace was
about as public and humiliating as it could be. Father “Joe”, as he’s affectionately called by his parishioners, addressed the
court today before he is sentenced for fraud and theft.

"He fully accepts the gravity of what he did,” said LeClair’s lawyer Matthew Webber, “and apologized to all those involved. 
It’s perhaps the most heartfelt open court statements from an accused I’ve ever heard.”

LeClair struggled through his apology, as his voice broke with emotion.

Father Joe LeClair leaves the Ottawa courthouse on Jan. 22, 2014.

"I have embarrassed and humiliated the priesthood and the church, he told the judge, "As a result, I jeopardized my vocation. 
Not only did I hurt my parish, I dishonored the priesthood at large."

The popular priest, who had breathed new life into an old parish, had also been helping himself to the church coffers.  LeClair
admitted to stealing $130-thousand dollars from the church. Court heard he was a pathological gambler and addicted to
alcohol. 

"As I reflect, I regard this weakness as inexcusable, LeClair told the court, "I was literally unable to control myself."

Many parishioners wept along with LeClair as he read his statement. Read the full apology.

"To hear something like that,” says Blessed Sacrament parishioner Joanne Licar, “it hits you where it counts, in the heart.”

Marianna Burch added, "It would do, in my opinion and many others, nothing to put this man in prison where it would break
an already broken man and be an irrevocable, travesty of justice.”

The Crown is pushing for jail time.  LeClair's lawyer has asked for a conditional sentence.  LeClair says that would help him
continue to address his problems. 

“I fully realize the discipline necessary to overcome addictions is a lifelong commitment,”LeClair said in his statement, “and I
am committed to waging this fight for the rest of my life. May God grant me the grace to persevere.”

LeClair will be sentenced by Justice Jack Nadelle on March 19 th.  Ironically, that is the Feast of Saint Joseph, the patron saint
of Canada.
Father Joe charged with impaired driving
Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Meghan Hurley, Ottawa Citizen

Published on: June 7, 2016 | Last Updated: June 7, 2016 5:55 PM EST

Rev. Joseph LeClair will be back before a criminal court next week to face impaired driving charges recently issued by the Ontario
Provincial Police.

LeClair, 58, the former pastor of Ottawa’s Blessed Sacrament Parish who was jailed in March 2014 for stealing from church coffers, has
been in Guelph for the past year. He had been thriving there as associate pastor of Saint Joseph Catholic Church, and had attracted a large
and enthusiastic following.

According to an OPP news release, LeClair was pulled over on Highway 6 in Guelph during an evening RIDE program on the Victoria
Day long weekend. Officers observed signs that he had been drinking and took him to a local OPP operations centre for further testing.

He was subsequently charged with impaired driving and having an open container of liquor in his car. LeClair was driving the same 2008
Volkswagen Eos convertible that he used in Ottawa.

LeClair is scheduled to make his first appearance on the charges next Tuesday in a Guelph courtroom.

The Citizen contacted Saint Joseph Church and was told that LeClair will be away for the next two weeks.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Ottawa, Deacon Gilles Ouellette, said church officials are aware of the charges, but will not
comment on them since the matters remain before the court.

“We will work with Father LeClair to determine the most appropriate way to support him in his journey of recovery,” Ouellette said.

Although assigned to work in Guelph, LeClair remains an official member of the Archdiocese of Ottawa.

LeClair has struggled for years to overcome addictions that took root while he was at Blessed Sacrament.

During his January 2014 sentencing hearing in Ottawa, LeClair’s then-defence lawyer, Matthew Webber, told court that the priest suffered
from mounting anxiety due to his workload at the booming parish. That led to heavier drinking — it eventually reached six or eight
scotches a night, Webber said, which in turn fuelled his gambling binges at Casino du Lac-Leamy. 

In March 2014, LeClair was sentenced to one year in jail and probation. He was released in November of that year and assigned to a
Moncton parish but suffered a relapse and was later moved to Guelph.

For years, LeClair was among the best-known priests in Ottawa. A charismatic figure, he made Blessed Sacrament Parish one of the most
successful in the city, hosted a Sunday morning radio show, and officiated at many high-profile weddings.

After the Citizen wrote a story that explored his gambling, his debts and his church’s poor financial controls, LeClair denied taking
parishioners’ money and denounced the newspaper. Three years later, LeClair admitted to an elaborate course of fraud and theft: He wrote
cheques to himself from church accounts, overcharged for his personal expenses, dipped his hand into Sunday collections, and redirected
fees for marriage preparation courses to his own account.

An audit revealed that $1.16 million moved through LeClair’s personal bank account between January 2006 and December 2010. About
$400,000 of that money could not be explained, court heard, and could not be tied to salary, stipends, gifts or casino winnings.

Following the scandal, the Archdiocese of Ottawa imposed a raft of new financial controls on its churches.