A former Leawood priest has admitted guilt as part of a plea agreement to stealing roughly $160,000 from his parish.

On Tuesday in Johnson County District Court, Richard Storey pleaded guilty to the amended charge of Theft of property or services valued between $25,000 to $100,000, a level 7 non-person, non-drug felony.

He was originally charged with a more severe level 5 felony of theft of property or services with a value over $100,000.

As part of the agreement, Storey reimbursed his former parish, Curé of Ars Catholic Church, $159,326.92 for unauthorized transactions he allegedly used to pay for personal expenses, including vacations, pharmacy prescriptions, weight loss and shopping, among other things, according to Johnson County court record.

“The parties acknowledge that funds were delivered to the District Attorney’s office and have been delivered to legal counsel for the Diocese for deposit,” court documents stated.

As part of plea agreement, Storey will likely be placed on probation, which will include him undergoing a substance abuse evaluation and
follow all of its subsequent recommendations, court documents stated.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City expressed its opinion on Storey’s plea in a statement released on its website.

“On behalf of the archdiocese, Archbishop Shawn McKnight expresses his deep sadness at this news and asks the faithful to keep all those impacted by this matter in their prayers,” they stated.

Judge Michael P. Joyce is presiding over the case.

Church audit turned up more than $150,000 in missing funds

Storey served as priest at Curé of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road in Leawood, from 2015 until his resignation in September of 2025.

The alleged financial crimes came to light after the Prairie Village Police Department began investigating a separate criminal allegation against Storey, involving an adult victim, in September 2025.

After his resignation, the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas audited the church’s finances.

They determined Storey had used church funds, including a parish credit card, spending $159,326.92 and “did not keep consistent records or provide documentation for much of the spending, making it difficult to know how many other charges were for personal benefit.”

The audit found that Storey spent $77,025.52 for one or more cruises, including a July 2023 cruise where he withdrew $23,948 in cash. The 2023 credit card statement listed that transaction as a “casino cash withdraw.”

“Priests are paid a salary and any vacation expenses are to be paid by the individual priest,” the affidavit says. “The church did not receive reimbursement for the expenses related to cruise vacations taken by Father Storey.”

Additional travel expenses, including trips to London, Paris and New York were also paid for using the church credit card and totaled $27,079.09, according to the affidavit.

The Archdiocese and Curé of Ars determined that there was no documentation related to church activities for this travel and deemed it to be personal travel.

Legal and accounting representatives from the Archdiocese and church reported their findings to a Leawood Police detective in March.

Storey resigned from his parish in 2025

Storey was arrested and booked into the Johnson County Adult Detention Center in May.

He made his first court appearance on June 2 and entered a plea of not guilty.

On Oct. 23, he made an appearance in Johnson County District Court for possible violations of his bond conditions. It was not specified in court documents he allegedly violated.

What’s next

The Archdiocese will initiate a preliminary canonical investigation into all the allegations involving Fr. Storey, the Archdiocese of Kansas City stated. announced in statement.

The results of the investigation will be shared with the Archdiocesan Finance Council Audit Committee for their consideration. They will then present their findings and assessment to the Promoter of Justice, who will recommend any further canonical action to Archbishop McKnight, who will decide on subsequent measures against Storey, they stated.

Storey will be sentenced in Johnson County District Court at 9 a.m. on Jan. 11.