Story by Ethan
On October 17th, 2025, the arrest of Joseph A. Manzi, age 78, was announced by Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Joseph A. Manzi was charged with second-degree Theft by Unlawful Taking. The arrest and charges against Joseph A. Manzi were a result of an investigation handled by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Middletown Police Department.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Joseph A. Manzi was previously employed at The Church of Saint Leo the Great (St. Leo) located in Lincroft, New Jersey, as the director of finances, operations, and development. The defendant’s employment had ended on June 26th, 2025, church staff then reviewing credit card statements on the church’s credit card. It was uncovered that there were numerous unauthorized purchases made on the card, allegedly done by Joseph A. Manzi for personal use. It is also alleged that the defendant used over $300,000 on the church’s credit card for various goods and services such as event vendors, vehicle repairs, a Cadillac SUV, luxury clothing, home repair services, medical and dental payments, sports event tickets, donations and payments to fraternal organizations, fishing trips, and personal insurance. The defendant also allegedly transferred $200,000 in cash from the church for himself over time from January 11th, 2019, and May 7th, 2025. Church staff reported that Joseph A. Manzi was the only one with access to control the credit card.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that the charges against Joseph A. Manzi are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
