Guinan v. State

Appellant, Francis Benedict Guinan, appeals his conviction for grand theft of property, valued between $20,000 and $100,000. We find that the trial court was correct to find that there was sufficient evidence to sustain the conviction of grand theft. We also find, based on the specific facts of this case, that appellant’s prosecution did not constitute an “excessive entanglement with religion” in violation of the United States Constitution and the Florida Constitution.

Appellant was charged with grand theft of over $100,000 in property from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, resulting from…