Rev. LeClair (Father Joe) was a well know priest at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Ottawa. After a report alleging the church had lax financial controls and its popular clergyman had racked up large credit card bills, The Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa hired an accounting firm to conduct an audit.

Please review this case and answer the following questions:

Once the issues were identified how would you go about investigating?

What were the red flags?

Review the fraud triangle and discuss the three key elements (opportunity, motivation, and rationalization) in relationship to this case?

Where did the opportunity exist to commit fraud?

What preventative measures need to be put in place to avoid issues in the future?