Fall River Diocese Makes Millions in Nantucket Real Estate Deal

Back in 2002, the Fall River Diocese paid at least $5 million to 68 people who said Father James Porter sexually abused them.

The scandal hit the Diocese hard, damaging the church's credibility and resulting in fewer donations, the consolidation of parishes and many church closings.

Don't feel too bad for the Diocese, though. According to church records, "Our Diocesan footprint includes more than 480 pieces of property." That's a healthy real estate portfolio.

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Recently, the Diocese closed on a deal to sell six acres of undeveloped land off Millstone Road in Nantucket for $4 million.

The Nantucket Current reported the Diocese sold the property to Cappo Real Estate Holdings, LLC, a company registered to Jeff Cappo of Michigan. The paper said Cappo is "the owner of Victory Automotive Group, which operates more than 50 dealerships across the country, and a Nantucket summer resident owns property" on the island.

Cappo is also considered a "donor" and "supporter" of the Fall River Diocese "both through his business and personally."

The paper reported, "The two properties off Millstone Rd. that were sold by the church to Cappo on February 14, 2025, were never publicly listed for sale by the Diocese."

Church officials tell the Current that Cappo had no "inside information or special treatment."

The U.S. Justice Department says Victory Automotive Group, Inc. agreed to pay $9 million in 2023 to "resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by knowingly providing false information in support of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application it submitted."