Guzzardi, 43, of Barrington, was fired last year when the thefts were discovered. Her lawyer, Louis R. Busico, says she is "cooperating fully" with the investigation.
"I've been in contact with the District Attorney's Office, and I've been in contact with counsel for the archdiocese, and we're willing to work with them to resolve any issues about alleged misappropriation of funds," Busico said.
"The entire incident is very unfortunate for the church as an institution, and for many individuals."
Indeed, the problem could not have come at a worse time for the archdiocese, which is already struggling to deal with parishioners' anguish over a sexual-abuse scandal and anger over its plan to close 49 Catholic schools.
The incident also raises questions about the financial management of the archdiocese, the sixth largest in the United States. By the time the theft was uncovered in July, Guzzardi had risen to the job of chief financial officer - the person who's supposed to put controls in place to stop financial shenanigans.
"There have to be questions about the internal audit process, you can't deny that," said John "Jack" Quindlen, former chief financial officer for DuPont Co. and a former member of the finance council for the archdiocese.
"It's hard to feel good about failure," he said.
Quindlen said no one had any reason to suspect Guzzardi. "I was as shocked as anyone else when this surfaced. She knew her stuff, knew what she was talking about," he said.
"You wring your hands and say, 'How did this happen?' " Quindlen said. "If you set out to deceive anyone, it's not hard to do. It's a question of how long it lasts."
