Fake Priest Arrested in California

You may remember this item from a few weeks back. Now, an update:

A man was arrested Tuesday, accused of posing as a Catholic priest and stealing from parishioners.

Erwin Mena was taken into custody in Elysian Park without incident, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Investigators said over several years, Mena posed as a priest and visited a number of Catholic churches throughout the L.A. area, including St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Highland Park.

Churchgoer Nancy Resendiz said she remembered Mena from early last year. “Mainly some of the homilies he gave; some of the things he talked about just didn’t seem right,” she said.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported Mena to the LAPD, which started its investigation in June. Investigators said the 59-year-old had officiated masses, confessions, funerals and at least one wedding since the mid 1990’s.

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Mena not only stole churchgoers’ trust, he stole their money, too.

Read more.

The NY Daily News adds:

Mena, who convinced pastors at different parishes that they did not need to check his official “faculties” before letting him perform services, would also sell a faith-based video for $25 and accepted a $16,000 loan to make a video about the Pope.

The prolific padre also has put out several eBooks, including one about his “irreverant confessions” where he discusses celibacy.

Other churches put out a warning that Mena was a fraud last summer, around the time the Archdiocese of Los Angeles contacted the LAPD.

The Los Angeles Times describes other scams he allegedly perpetrated, concluding: 

The pastor of St. Ignatius allowed Mena to celebrate at the church without referencing the archdiocese’s list, said Doris Benavides, a spokeswoman for the L.A. archdiocese.

Those who met him say he showed charm and good humor.

“He smiled, talked about how good things were. There was never anything negative,” said Joaquin Oviedo, a retired high school teacher. “He was not a fire and brimstone kind of preacher.”

The archdiocese has reimbursed some victims. Any witnesses in the criminal case against Mena could possibly be reimbursed after the case concludes, Benavides said in an email.

A marriage performed by Mena has been re-celebrated, and those who received sacraments from Mena are able to receive them again, she added.

At St. Ignatius, Mena’s brief tenure has left some parishioners feeling betrayed.

“We had always been raised not to question authority figures. He’s a priest — what he said is holy writ,” Oviedo said. “We never imagined he was a phony.”

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