NYC Priest Who Let Sabrina Carpenter Film in Church Stripped of Duties
The priest of a New York City church where Sabrina Carpenter filmed her music video for “Feather” was stripped of his duties this week after church officials said an investigation revealed other instances of mismanagement.
Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello was relieved of “any pastoral oversight or governance role” at the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Williamsburg, according to a statement released by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
“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,” Bishop Robert Brennan said in the statement. “In order to safeguard the public trust, and to protect church funds, I have appointed Bishop Witold Mroziewski as administrator of the Parish.”
Gigantiello initially came under fire last November after Carpenter released the clip for “Feather,” which she filmed in part in the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church. The priest was demoted for allowing Carpenter to shoot there, with the diocese confirming, “The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property, which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
At the time, Gigantiello responded saying he was upset by the video and offered “sincere apologies” to the church and its parishioners. He said agreed to allow the video to be filmed to “strengthen the bonds between the young creative artists who make up a large part of this community and the parish.”
A further investigation was launched after the music video controversy inadvertantly revealed that Gigantiello made unauthorized financial transfers to Frank Carone, a former aide to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is currently under federal investigation on charges of corruption after being indicted in September.
Brennan said the internal church investigation unearthed other instances of administrative impropriety, including Gigantiello’s use of a church credit card for “substantial” personal expenses. He also transferred $1.9 million in parish funds to bank accounts affiliated with Carone. Carone’s law firm repaid $1 million of the funds, along with about 9 percent interest, however Brennan said Gigantiello didn’t seek prior approval for the transactions and failed to document them properly.
Earlier this fall, federal investigators subpoenaed the church regarding “business dealings” between Gigantiello and Carone. At the time, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn said they were “fully committed to cooperating with law enforcement in all investigations, including conduct at individual parishes or involving any priest.”
In September, Carpenter acknowledged her role in Adams’ indictment during a show at Madison Square Garden. Speaking to the audience, Carpenter nodded to the speculation about her video, saying, “Damn, what now? Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted, or…”
Adams was indicted on federal criminal charges, becoming the first mayor of New York City to be charged with criminal offenses while in office. He was hit with five charges in total: bribery; solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national (two counts); wire fraud; and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, federal program bribery, and to receive campaign contributions from foreign nationals.
