About 10 months ago, I wrote a post titled “Good Catholic boys making a killing in the payday loan business.”
That post really struck a nerve. It had hundreds of views around the time I posted it in September 2014, and since then it has drawn more views than any other past post.
Yesterday and today, the number of views spiked, in the wake of The Star posting on its website a story about the federal government banning a huge, online payday lending operation run by Timothy Coppinger and Frampton T. Rowland III.
To give you an idea of the scope of the operation, between 2012 and 2013, Coppinger’s companies issued $28 million in payday loans and withdrew more than $46.5 million from people’s bank accounts.
Here’s how dirty were the dealings of those companies: The vast majority of the victims hadn’t actually applied for loans but had shared enough personal information about themselves to give the lenders access to their checking accounts. The lenders then deposited “loans” in the people’s accounts and systematically withdrew “interest” payments. Many victims didn’t realize for a long time that they were being fleeced.
Coppinger was one of the “good Catholic boys” I wrote about back in 2014. He comes from a family that is a pillar of Visitation Catholic Church, 51st Terrace and Main.
Vince Hodes
The other family I wrote about was the Hodes family, also of Visitation. Like Coppinger, Chris and Vince Hodes went through Visitation Catholic School and Rockhurst High and later went into the payday loan business.
The Hodes family, also of Visitation, has owned a very successful plumbing supply business (they have related businesses, too) since 1943. Nobody from the Hodes family should have any need whatsoever to be in the payday lending business. There should be plenty of business, and income, to make everybody happy for life.
You don’t have to be a psychologist to know what drove these “good Catholic boys” to the seamy business of exorbitant payday loans — GREED.
But there’s more to this story — and more Catholics with greedy hands — than Tim Coppinger and Vince and Chris Hodes.
Coppinger and Vince Hodes are now members of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Prairie Village. So are Coppinger’s payday-lending partner, Frampton (“Ted”) Rowland, and Stephen and Julie Zanone.
The Zanones were principals in a company called MMG, which the state of Maryland fined and banned from doing business in Maryland last year because they were charging interest of up to 1,000 percent or more on payday loans…Maryland law limits annual interest rates to 24 or 33 percent, depending on the type of loan made. (Missouri needs a similar law but probably won’t get one anytime in the near future because of the conservatives’ stranglehold on the General Assembly.)
Coppinger, in 2010 photo, holding a trophy for winning a poker tournament at St. Ann’s Catholic Church
Stephen and Julie Zanone
**
To be fair, none of the people I have named have faced criminal charges. But they do have to answer to the Kansas City community, and five of them — Coppinger, Rowland, Vince Hodes and the Zanones — have to answer to their faith community, St. Ann’s.
You might think that people who are making oodles of money by gouging people in dire straits would have the gumption to keep a low profile. That doesn’t seem to be the case with the five people named in the previous paragraph.
A few years ago, St. Ann’s launched a capital campaign with the primary goal of raising funds to build a chapel adjacent to the church, which is on Mission Road, between 71st and 75th streets. The church has raised nearly $7 million toward its goal of $8.5 million, and the chapel has been built, but the interior is not quite finished.
When churches have capital drives, they often designate “lead givers,” or they have “steering committees” to lead the drive and set the example for other parishioners or congregants. I learned today from a second-hand source — but a source that I trust — that the lead givers at St. Ann included Tim Coppinger and his wife; Vince Hodes and his wife; Ted Rowland and his wife; and the Zanones.
I think it is fair to assume that all of them made significant pledges to the campaign. In addition, as far as I know, Rev. Keith Lunsford, the pastor, had no qualms about accepting money from people who made millions on the backs of poor people.
**
The Pitch and investigative reporter David Hudnall have led the way on the payday-lending story, and Kansas Citians can be grateful Hudnall has pulled back the curtain on this ugly situation.
His first expose came in December 2013. He began that story with a discussion of the influx of “new money” at St. Ann, which parishioners had begun to notice. Hudnall anonymously quoted one parishioner as saying:
“People on the finance committee and the school board were talking about the morality of taking that money. But in the end, I think they just looked the other way.”
When Hudnall asked Fr. Lunsford about the revenue surge, Lunsford said, “I don’t have any firsthand knowledge of anybody at St. Ann involved in the payday-loan industry.”
**
Here are my observations…
First, Lunsford must have had his eyes closed and his hands over his ears. Of course, he didn’t have “firsthand” knowledge. Coppinger and Rowland weren’t going to approach him and say, “Father, we’re making a fortune in the payday loan business, and we want to share the bounty with the church.”
But all Lunsford had to do — and probably did but wouldn’t acknowledge — was to consider the source!
Like the parishioners, he had to have heard that some of his people were neck deep in the payday loan business, and he should have had the courage to confront them and then turn his back on their filthy lucre.
Second, every time I look at that new, multi-million-dollar chapel, I will think of Jesus (yes, he also rates bold-face type) angrily denouncing the moneychangers in the temple and chasing them off with a whip he fashioned out of cord.
The Gospel of Matthew quotes Jesus as saying, ” My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
Yesterday’s moneychangers are today’s payday lenders. Woe betide them.
The new chapel at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Prairie Village
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Amen!
It’s amazing how easy it is for Jimmy C to be so self-righteous and at the same time bash a priest who is one of the most loving, caring and selfless people I’ve ever met. He is too busy to worry about who does what for a living and sees the good in everyone he meets. It’s so upsetting to see his name brought up in this manner. I don’t condone the dealings of payday loans or taking advantage of the poor, but I also don’t condone writing articles with zero proof-points and tearing down the moral character of a person about whom he knows nothing.
I have every confidence that Fr. Lunsford is holy, MRL, but I’ll bet he’s not naive.
Amen.
What an embarrassment (or should be) for Father Lunsford and the church.
You’re always moderate in your comments, Gayle, and try to identify with the injured party or parties. Good approach.
Priests, Principals, = politicians. (i.e. – failed used car salesmen)
Coppinger and Rowland and Zanone were big fish in the payday lending biz, and deserve all that’s coming to them. But how does another St. Ann parish member – Joel Tucker – get away without scrutiny. Along with his brother Scott godfather of Internet payday lending. All this started with the Tuckers. I’m sure his donations topped everyone. I’m sure Fr. Keith is a good and holy man, but there is no way on earth he didn’t know all about origins of his benefactors’ money.
A guy with some knowledge of the situation (but not an authoritative source that I rely on) told me, “Tucker used to be a member,” without giving me a first name. I thought he was referring to Scott Tucker.
…Was Scott Tucker a member at any point? And are you sure Joel Tucker is still a member?
Jimmyc’s self-righteousness is obnoxious – beware those casting stones.
Nothing but unfounded accusations and second-hand info that you admit to. I have no idea what you’re ultimate mission is, but I know how much money my friends and I have contributed over three years. You have no dog in this fight….. we can take care of ourselves.
WHAT???
If he knew, he is not only not holy, he is complicit. At the very least, the money should have been returned. Jesus is clear on this: “What you do unto the least of these you do unto me.” There is no gray are here. If there is a hell, there is an especially hot place for these people. If he knew, he should be de-frocked. No matter who knew, the parish should be required by the larger church to determine the exact amount that was received by these people and give it back, plus damages, to an organization that can be trusted to use it in service of the coming of the kingdom on earth.
You’re making me reconsider my response to Commenter No. 1, when I said, “I have every confidence Fr. Lunsford is holy.”
I think you’re right, David. If he knew, he violated one of the basic tenets of the faith: Giving a helping hand to disadvantaged people.
It makes me think, unfortunately, about what former Bishop Finn did over here: He knew that what Shawn Ratigan (now doing 50 years) did was very wrong, but he sat on his hands and hoped it would pass unnoticed…The more I think about the “filthy lucre” going into that chapel, the more it infuriates me. And I am sick of these assertions that in writing this piece I am “self-righteous” and throwing out “unfounded accusations” and besmirching the pastor’s good name. It’s all bullshit; the guy knew, and he took the money anyway. He wanted the chapel, and he didn’t care how it got financed. Now the parishioners can look at it and reflect on how they got it. It’s a permanent testament to greed.
Jimmy,
Have you noticed the name of the new track at St. Teresa’s Academy?
There is much more investigative work to be done.
Ah, parishioner, your favorite sleuth has already sealed that one up…In the “Good Catholic boys” post I referenced in the body of this piece, I wrote the following:
“Two sources told me that Tim Coppinger contributed the money several years ago for construction of a new running track — Coppinger Family Track — at St. Teresa’s Academy, 55th and Main.
“My guess is that ill-gotten money paid for that track. And, to me, that raises a secondary issue: Did the St. Teresa’s administration and board of directors know how Tim Coppinger had made his money? If so, did they ever consider rejecting the money?”
I think our friends at St. Teresa’s also turned a blind eye. It’s awfully tempting when you have a project and plans in the works and all you need — all you need — is the money to make it a reality.
Yes, the STA admin absolutely knew how Tim financed the donation for the track. 100% guarantee it!
The one act of violence Christ engaged in was to drive people like this from the temple. If he good Father is truly trying mimic Christ, he has a very clear model.
My family and I were parishioners at St. Ann’s for years. I met with Father Keith and the head of finance for St. Ann’s a number of times to ask why we were accepting the poisonous funds gained through violating church teaching and also warned them emphatically to reverse course.
The one thing that the finance committee chairman alluded to is that the people involved in the payday loan industry effectively “bullied” the church leadership, for what it is worth. We left the parish in disgust.
This Saturday night, July 11, there is a fund-raising party at Mr. Zanone’s house. Perhaps they can form a prayer circle and pray for the poor people that were raped to build the new chapel.
I hope Father Keith starts a lifelong effort to repent. I do feel for all the wonderful people at the parish, as well as the school, because they are victims of all of this and are innocent, for the most part.
Well, now, that should be a pret-ty pret-ty, pret-ty interesting party, shouldn’t it, JWC? At that prayer circle, they’ll probably pray that a certain irritating blogger — and his commenters — will go away and let the “lead givers” get back to patting themselves on the back for helping make the capital-improvements drive a big success.
…Interesting that you should mention that you and your family left the parish. I’d been thinking about what I would have done, and, like you, I would have voted with my feet. Patty and I did that once before, back when Norm Rotert was pastor at Visitation. He called a meeting at one point to “discuss the possibility of renovating and expanding the church.”
When we got to the meeting at St. Teresa’s Academy, we found out that a facilitator had already been hired; several lead givers (including the Hodeses, by the way) had pledged a few million dollars; and that the train had left the station and was flying down the tracks. We thought that was completely disingenuous — a sandbagging of the congregation, really — and we left the church in short order.
When you see stuff going on that you know isn’t honest and forthright — as you did — it’s time to walk. Congratulations, JWC!
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Now there’s a lender you can trust…Although I think I’d prefer to put my money with Mrs. Bill Clinton.
Whaddaya’ think, Nigeria or …?
Run for your lives…the spambots have invaded JimmyCsays. The apocalypse is near!
I understand dozens of JimmyC subscribers are rushing to get loans from Mr. Hillary Clinton…I beg you, please, please proceed with caution. Jason and Gayle have a good eye for scams…Me…I’m more naive and trusting in the goodness of human nature.
And now I’ve gotta go meet a guy named Coppinger to make a payment on a small loan I took out a while back.
You know what our old friend, Ronnie, said about that: “Trust but verify.”
Sooo, do you think they raised the balance of the funds last night?
Steve Zanone has gone from high repute to zero repute in a matter of minutes, in my opinion.
Shame on him for such hypocracy…..sings in the church choir on Sunday and then purposely screws over the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters during the week.
Nice (sarcasm font).
I’m glad I was able to “enlighten” some people about Mr. Zanone…Until now, I think, he hadn’t been named in press reports. But I found the “cease and desist” order out of Maryland, naming him and his wife Julie. So now the choir boy has been exposed, too.
@KansasCityCCO & @PICOnetwork needs to get real on this issue and not gloss over the families and individuals involved. In other words they need to do a “Fitzpatrick” and call these “religious” families out!
Many Catholic churches are among their members. KC CCO recently retained the support of Mayor Sly James, with the unexpected result of a EDC board member/moneychanger resigning from the board.
The Hodes family members have served on missionary visits to El Salvador, etc. On a different subject I believe the Straub family construction company was hired for the St. Ann expansion. They are big & involved catholic family that have built many of the diocese churches & community centers, but they are huge proponents of the conservative Koch Brothers talking points -http://www.kmbc.com/news/kc-companies-pleased-by-ruling-in-contraceptives-case/26730738
I agree with your basic sentiments, George, but not the particulars. I’m not sure it would be appropriate or productive for CCO to call out individual family members. I have met and spoken with CCO’s executive director, Eva Creydt Schulte, and she is a very smart and capable administrator. When the Pitch came out with its story about Herb Sih, the former EDC board member you referred to, CCO put out a statement saying something to the effect of, “We’re watching this closely.” And that’s all they needed to do because the power of the Pitch story, plus, perhaps, an added push from me, prompted Sih to resign — or the mayor to suggest he resign.
…Now, about the Straub family. They have wisely cultivated the Catholic community for decades, and I don’t care what their political connections are; they are flat out good businessmen. I remember back in the 80s when the Ernie who is now in his 80s (they’re all named Ernie, I think) snapped up a parcel north of Visitation Church on Main. Vis had been eyeing it for a parking lot, and Ernie moved in and bought it. A few months later, Visitation had to buy it from him, at a considerable markup, instead of buying it from the previous owner. That’s just smart, opportunistic business. Also, I always liked Ernie, who was a Visitation member for many years.