LANSING — The nonprofit connected to a retired priest who was convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from other retired priests will not be shut down despite efforts from the Attorney General’s office to do so.
In July 2024, the AG’s office sued the FaithFirst Foundation in Ingham County Circuit Court. Attorneys for Dana Nessel’s office argued that David Rosenberg “unlawfully” obtained more than $500,000 while acting as an agent for the charity. Months earlier, a Clinton County jury convicted Rosenberg on eight felony counts, including three for embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, in a case the AG’s office prosecuted.
Rosenberg was the director of the Diocese of Lansing’s St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt between 2015 and 2021, when he went on senior priest status. The 95-acre property includes apartments for retired priests. The three priests listed as victims lived at the retreat center apartments until their deaths. The AG’s Office said in court filings that money stolen went to FaithFirst, which had previously been known as the Rosenberg Family Corp…