The 56-year-old allegedly stole cash in multiple burglaries, including one on Christmas.
A former employee of a Phillipsburg church is accused of burglarizing the parish.
Town police say 56-year-old Brian Marinelli, of the 400 block of Prospect Street, stole cash from St. St. Philip & St. James Church on at least four occasions over the last year, the first in July and the last on Christmas Day.
Marinelli was employed by the church on South Main Street at least for the first crime on July 15, though his employment ended sometime after that, Acting Chief Robert Stettner said.
On Aug. 16, Aug. 26 and Dec. 25, Marinelli is accused of burglarizing the church and its offices, according to Stettner and a news release from Phillipsburg police. The amount of cash taken was not disclosed.
In all, Marinelli is charged with two counts of theft, three counts of burglary and four counts of criminal mischief.
The chief said there was no apparent connection to another recent theft case from the church. In November, a former maintenance worker was accused of stealing more than $3,000 by forging the pastor's name on church checks.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.