Boca Raton, Florida -- Police say this surveillance video inside Neiman Marcus in Boca Raton last December shows Father Giuseppe Savaia picking up an $895 picture frame.
He then walks out of camera range, holding the frame. According to the arrest report, a Neiman Marcus loss prevention officer says she saw Savaia then conceal the frame in his jacket and leave the store without paying for it. The report says that Neiman Marcus did not notify police because they couldn't ID the man, but they did distribute his picture to surrounding stores.
Six days later the report says Neiman Marcus recieved a call from another Neiman Marcus store in sawgrass mills, where Sunrise police had just arrested Savaia for shoplifting. The report says he took two Italian coats.
The Diocese says that on June 30th, Savaia handed out his letter to parishioners, writing "I apologize to the parish of Saint Clare for the embarrassment and confusion this has caused." Savaia writes that at the request of the bishop, he is taking time away to "tend to personal duress" as well as "establishing my innocence."
The Diocese would not go on camera, but in a statement said, "we're aware of it, and we're just working with him and he's taking time off while he's trying to resolve the issue."
Father Savaia maintains his innocence but faces charges of grand theft and retail theft.