NYC pastor who let Sabrina Carpenter film racy video in church and transferred $1.9M in parish money is demoted
The pastor at a Brooklyn Catholic church under federal investigation for questionable transfers of church funds to a former City Hall insider has been removed from leadership responsibilities — as newly revealed racist recordings become part of the scandal.
Controversial Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, whose $1.9 million in “transfers” of church funds to firms of former aide of Mayor Eric Adams got him in hot water with the feds last year, also secretly recorded a deacon at his Williamsburg church making “racist and offensive” comments, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced Monday.
It’s the latest wrinkle at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, which already raised eyebrows last year when scantily-clad pop singer Sabrina Carpenter got the green light to shoot a sultry music video inside the 160-year-old church.
The diocese launched a probe into the monsignor, with an outside firm finding he “mishandled” funds and “interfered” with operations of the parish after he was relieved of his leadership post, the announcement said.
“I am saddened to share that investigations conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP have uncovered evidence of serious violations of Diocesan policies and protocols at Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Annunciation Parish,” Bishop Robert Brennan said in a statement.
“In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the parish,” Brennan said.
Federal prosecutors last year subpoenaed records from the church looking into business dealings between Gigantiello and the law firm of Frank Carone, former chief of staff for the mayor.
Gigantiello transferred $1 million of parish funds to Carone’s law firm — Abrams Fensterman LLP — in January 2019, the diocese said. Carone left his City Hall gig in 2022.
In August and November 2021, another $900,000 was transferred to the firm — with the transactions carried out without diocese knowledge or approval, the statement said.
“In addition, the diocese review has identified other instances in which Monsignore Gigantiello used and transferred parish funds in violation of diocesan policies and protocols,” it said. “He also used a church credit card for substantial personal expenses.”
Brennan said those allegations remain part of the investigation.
In November 2023, the diocese relieved Gigantiello of his duties as pastor and replaced him with Deacon Dean Dobbins after it got word of Carpenter’s steamy video in the church.
However, Dobbins was also relieved earlier this month when recordings of the deacon using troubling language were forwarded to the diocese, the statement said.
“This evidence included recordings apparently made at the direction Monsignor Gigantiello without Deacon Dobbins’ knowledge or consent and, in some instances, without the knowledge or consent of the other party to the conversation,” the diocese said.
In his statement, Brennan acknowledged that “it was wrong to secretly record Dobbins.
“But the use of such language by any church employee is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
Gigantiello has been a priest since 1995, and has rubbed elbows with city officials for years, once serving as an FDNY chaplain and reportedly has a longstanding friendhishp with Carone.
Neither Gigantiello or Carone have been charged with criminal conduct by Brooklyn federal prosecutors and a spokesperson for the office declined to comment on Monday.
Gigantiello’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, defended his client, who remains a practicing priest.
“The bishop relieved him of his financial duties, not his pastoral duties,” Aidala said.
Aidala said Gigantiello’s transactions of church funds were “investments” seeking returns via Carone and his firms, not loans.
He also insisted that Gigantiello did not abuse his credit card privileges.
“The credit card is part of his compensation package,” Aidala said.
Carone declined to comment.
