Controversy-Attracting Williamsburg Priest Accused of Money Misdeeds Tied to Adams' Pal

By Adam Daly, Brooklyn Paper

A Brooklyn priest previously disciplined for allowing pop star Sabrina Carpenter to film a music video in his Williamsburg church has been relieved of his pastoral responsibilities after an investigation revealed he allegedly mishandled church funds, the Diocese of Brooklyn announced Monday.

Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello will still be able to say Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation, but only at the discretion of Bishop Witold Mroziewski, who has been appointed administrator of the parish. Bishop Robert J. Brennan announced on November 18 that an independent investigation into Monsignor Gigantiello uncovered serious violations of Diocesan policies between 2019 and 2021.

Having previously been stripped of his financial authority, Monsignor Gigantiello has now lost his “pastoral leadership,” which includes setting mass schedules, addressing liturgical matters, and communications.

The Brooklyn Diocese began an initial investigation after learning Gigantiello had allowed Carpenter to film part of the music video for her single “Feather” in the church at the corner of Havemeyer and North 5th Street prior to its release on October 31, 2023. The video’s content sparked backlash, prompting Gigantiello to apologize to parishioners.

Following the release of the video, the Brooklyn Diocese told the Catholic News Agency that Bishop Brennan was “appalled at what was filmed at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn” and stressed that the parish did not follow Diocesan policy in allowing Carpenter to film the video on church grounds. The Diocese then moved to strip him of his financial authority.

The broader probe, conducted by Alvarez & Marsal and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, revealed that Gigantiello allegedly made several unauthorized financial transactions totaling nearly $1.9 million. These included loans to entities affiliated with Frank Carone, the former chief of staff to Mayor Eric Adams, according to the Diocese. Over the summer, federal investigators subpoenaed Gigantiello as part of their corruption investigation into Mayor Eric Adams.

From 2019 to 2021, Gigantiello is said to have transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to Carone’s law firm and two related companies without informing Diocesan officials or securing required approvals. While some funds were repaid with interest, the transactions were allegedly undocumented and lacked essential details about the funds’ purpose, the probe found.

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In two additional transfers in 2021 totaling $900,000, Gigantiello again allegedly bypassed Diocesan oversight, issuing loans to companies associated with Carone under one-year repayment terms. In February 2022, he allegedly requested early repayment of the principal but waived the substantial interest owed to the parish.

The investigation also revealed that Gigantiello allegedly used a church credit card for significant personal expenses, which remain under review.

“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,” Brennan said in Monday’s announcement. “In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the parish.”

“I have also relieved Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the current pastor, of any pastoral oversight or governance role at the parish because he has mishandled substantial church funds and interfered with the administration of the parish after being directed not to do so,” he added.

Monsignor Gigantiello did not return Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment at the time of publication, but told THE CITY that the loans were investments that yielded big returns for Mount Carmel. “The investments were made legally and the investments came back,” he told the news outlet.

The Diocese’s announcement also addressed allegations against Deacon Dean Dobbins, whom Bishop Brennan had appointed as temporary administrator following Gigantiello’s suspension.

On November 7, Gigantiello’s lawyers provided evidence of allegedly racist and offensive comments made by Dobbins during private conversations in the parish office. The evidence included recordings allegedly made without Dobbins’s knowledge or consent, reportedly at Gigantiello’s direction. Upon reviewing the evidence, Brennan placed Dobbins on administrative leave.

Gigantiello was also the one who signed ground lease documents with a developer allowing substantial alteration of the parish’s historic Church of the Annunciation School at 70 Havemeyer Street, just across from the house of worship. As part of a conversion to rental apartments, the alterations included removing the high Victorian pile’s distinctive roof and towers, to the dismay of nearby residents. The project started in 2019 and wrapped in 2021 — the same years Gigantiello was allegedly making financial transactions that violated Diocesan policy.

A few blocks away at 275 North 8th Street is the parish’s other church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, perhaps best known for the 12-day-long yearly Giglio Feast that takes place in the streets outside its doors.

Carone, meanwhile, has been trying to offload his lavish Mill Basin property, the site of many political fundraisers, at 2626 National Drive for more than a year, according to the New York Post. It’s currently listed for $5.1 million after a price drop.

Carpenter’s team did not immediately respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment, but at her September 29 concert at Madison Square Garden, she appeared to address the controversy, asking the crowd, “Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted?”

— additional reporting by Cate Corcoran

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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