(ZENIT News / New York, 01.09.2024).- A New York Capuchin friar has been placed in the hands of the Authorities under serious charges of electronic and postal fraud, after it was discovered that he orchestrated a complex scheme to defraud the faithful for more than one million dollars. The friar, identified as Father Pawel Bielecki, 48, used false identities, invented stories and alleged connections with European royalty, to convince donors to finance non-existent medical clinics in Lebanon.
The Strategy of Fraud: False Identities and Imaginary Clinics
The scandal came to light on August 17 when Bielecki was arrested by Federal Authorities. According to judicial documents, the friar began his scheme in 2015, introducing himself falsely as a doctor and member of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Sonderburg-Glucksburg royalty. Through these fictitious identities, he convinced numerous victims to donate money to finance medical clinics that, according to him, operated in Beirut, a city devastated by war.
The Authorities affirm that Bielecki used several aliases, including “Paul SAR Saxe-Coburg-Gotha” and “Dr. Phaakon Sonderburg-Glucksburg”, to perpetrate his fraud. To give greater credibility to his story, the friar also appeared on radio programs, stating that he was calling from supposed clinics in Lebanon, when in fact he was in New York.
Internal Investigation and Arrest
The Capuchin Province of St. Mary, to which Bielecki belonged, expressed its consternation and affirmed it was cooperating fully with the Authorities. In a press release, Father Robet Abbatiello, the Order’s Provincial Superior, revealed that it was the Province itself that notified the Federal Prosecutors about the friar’s suspicious behaviour, after an internal investigation discovered numerous irregularities in his credentials and activities.
Initially, the Province didn’t suspect Bielecki, who joined he Capuchins at 18 in his native Poland and was sent to New York in 2011, to continue his studies. However, as doubts began to surface about his employment and academic affirmations, the Province began to investigate more thoroughly, which finally led to the discovery of the fraud.
Bielecki’s Use of the Scammed Money
The Federal Prosecutors allege that Bielecki not only deceived the donors with his false stories, but that he used the money he collected to finance a luxurious lifestyle. Among the expenses identified are plastic surgery, membership in a gymnasium to the tune of US$300 monthly, extravagant vacations and expensive dinners, in addition to payments to pay off credit card debts.
Bielecki’s fraud also involved the use of collective financing Websites and the promotion of supposed clinics in parish bulletins and Facebook pages, where he asked for donations that went to a non-profit entity that he himself had established.
Legal and Canonical Consequences
If declared guilty, Bielecki could face up to 40 years in prison. Although the Capuchin Province has assured its cooperation with the Authorities, it hasn’t specified if the friar will be subjected to a canonical trial, which could lead to eventual laicization and expulsion from the Order. A spokesman of the Province said they are “exploring appropriate and necessary canonical measures” in response to this case.
