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 Nov. 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, Giantiello — who, since 2014, has helped to raise $105 million for the Diocese’s Futures in Education scholarship program — has now lost his “pastoral leadership,” which includes setting Mass schedules, addressing liturgical matters, and communications.
Gigantiello’s attorney, Arthur L. Aidala, claims that the bishop’s findings have been known to the church since January and that Gigantiello’s only misstep was not informing the Bishop before making the “investments” at the center of the controversy.
“The investments that the Monsignor made allowed the church to make an extra $120,000, which was badly needed,” said Aidala. “There are no accusations of misappropriation of funds or anyone doing anything untoward.”
“The Monsignor is universally loved by his parishioners,” he added.
The Brooklyn Diocese said it began an initial investigation after learning Gigantiello had allowed Carpenter to film part of the music video for her single “Feather” in the Havemeyer Street church prior to its release on Oct. 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 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.
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. According to Gigantiello’s attorney, the Monsignor’s use of the credit card was “absolutely authorized” as part his compensation package.
“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 Nov. 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.
Carpenter’s team did not immediately respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment, but at her Sept. 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?”
Correction/clarification (Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m.): This story has been updated to make clear that Monsignor Gigantiello has only been “relieved of his pastoral responsibilities.” A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that he was fired. The updated version provides additional detail about what Monsignor Gigantiello is and is not allowed to do moving forward. Brooklyn Paper regrets the error.
Update (Nov. 19, 11:30 a.m.) This story has been updated to include additional information and a statement from Monsignor Gigantiello’s attorney, Arthur L. Aidala.
