CV NEWS FEED // A man suspected of posing as a priest in order to steal money from a Catholic church in New York is now believed to be associated with two similar offenses in Texas.
According to latest reports, law enforcement now believes the suspected imposter, who allegedly stole $900 from a church in Queens, committed two similar felonies at churches in Dallas and Houston last year. The suspect also has outstanding arrest warrants in California and Pennsylvania.
The parish priest at American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Queens stated in the report that the imposter claimed to be “visiting from a church in Rome.” The suspect stole the money out of the priest’s unlocked bedroom after being invited into the rectory.
“It’s sad. It’s very sad that someone is going to come into any house of worship and just violate everybody,” said Father Peter Rayder.
Police made the connection after discovering surveillance footage of the suspect in Dallas this past October “wearing similar clothes as the New York incident.”
Law enforcement and the diocese of Houston and Dallas have each issued separate warnings about the suspect last year, who is known to go by either “Fr Martin” or “Fr Guillermo.”
Reports of the Houston incident also state that the imposter stole an undisclosed amount of cash from St Thomas More Catholic Church. He also attempted to carry out the same tactics at several churches in Dallas, but without success.
