A former accountant for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to stealing more than $670,000 from the church.

Scott J. Domeier, 51, of Cottage Grove, pleaded guilty in Ramsey County district court to three counts of theft by swindle and two counts of filing a false tax return.

The Archdiocese reported the thefts to St. Paul police in January 2012. Domeier served as director of accounting services for the archdiocese from 1995 until the thefts were reported.

Authorities say his illegal activities began in 1995. Domeier accepted first class airline tickets from a vendor, misused the company credit card and diverted a check from another parish. The check was supposed to go toward the purchase of a car in relation to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Domeier also issued checks totaling $483,000 to pay balances on his credit card and for private school tuition for his children. The memo line for those checks typically said "general fund or priest support."

Insurers covered the church's loss.

Domeier is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16. He faces up to four years in prison and restitution. He initially faced seven counts of theft by swindle.

Chao Xiong