A $3.4 Million Loss To Keep Things Quiet

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After Bishop Michael J. Bransfield was banished from his post as head of the Catholic Church in West Virginia, the church-owned residence he had lived in was put up for sale.

Questions:

  1. Why do you think the diocese was willing to take a $3.4 Million Loss?
  2. Why do you think that the diocese did not hire a real estate agent, advertise the property’s sale online, or hold an open house?
  3. In addition to his home, what other excessive spending is attributed to Bishop Bransfield?
  4. Was this case considered a “fraud?” Why or why not?

Source:

Davis, A.C. (2019). Disgraced bishop spent $4.6 million on mansion that sold for only $1.2 million. The Washington Post, Dec. 29 (Retrievable online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/disgraced-bishop-spent-46-million-on-mansion-that-sold-for-only-12-million/2019/12/29/6d7ad002-225f-11ea-a153-dce4b94e4249_story.html).