Charlie Specht

2 days ago | wgrz.com | Charlie Specht

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Rev. Dr. Christos Christakis, longtime priest at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Buffalo, has been fired after a church investigation into the misuse of parish funds by Christakis for personal use. Christakis admitted to the misuse of funds totaling $365,000, according to letters from a lawyer for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and congregants in Buffalo that were obtained by 2 On Your Side Investigates.

4 days ago | wgrz.com | Charlie Specht

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Even Erie County Sheriff John Garcia acknowledges that his office is not the best at responding to requests made under New York’s Freedom of Information Law. “We have to get better, OK?” Garcia said Friday. “We have to get better.” When it comes to transparency for the sheriff’s office, it’s a case of words vs. actions. Garcia said last week that he wants to release disciplinary records of deputies who are found to have committed misconduct.

2 weeks ago | wgrz.com | Charlie Specht

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie County Sheriff's Office now faces a lawsuit filed by The New York Times over its refusal to produce disciplinary records of deputies who have credibility issues. The Times on Friday filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Erie County asking a judge to force the office of Sheriff John Garcia to produce what’s known as a “Brady list,” which identifies officers whose credibility has been called into question because of their ability to testify truthfully in court.

3 weeks ago | wgrz.com | Charlie Specht

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Diocese of Buffalo is now deciding where it will get the money to fund a recently announced settlement with more than 900 survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. The diocese confirmed in a news release Thursday that some of the $150 million settlement will come from individual parishes. The pastors of those churches are now being called downtown to learn just how much that will be.

1 month ago | charliespecht.substack.com | Charlie Specht

The photographs were taken a decade ago during a much different time in my life. I was married then, and being Catholic was a huge part of my identity. So I couldn’t have been more excited to travel to Philadelphia for a chance to see Pope Francis. In one photo, my Mom is holding her phone sideways, taking a selfie of my brother, Mike, and I. In another, I pose with Jay Tokasz, my friend and former colleague at The Buffalo News.