Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Sham Priest Accused Of Swindling $53,000 With Fake Trips To See The Pope
A man who allegedly posed as a Catholic priest for years is accused of swindling over $50,000 from church-goers.
Erwin Mena, 59, was arrested on Tuesday in Elysian Park on charges of pretending to be a priest at two L.A. churches and selling fake trips to see Pope Francis, according to the L.A. Times. Police say that Mena, who also went by Menacastro, swindled parishioners at Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Highland Park and Saint Bernard Catholic Church in Glassell Park, where he officiated ceremonies including baptisms, funerals, confessions, and a marriage.
Mena is charged with 22 felonies, including grand theft and filing false documents, as well as 8 misdemeanors, and will be arraigned in court today. Police say he convinced over two dozen people to give him between $500 and $1,000 each to cover airfare and lodging to see the Pope in New York and Philadelphia last year. But those who signed up for the trip told the Times that their interactions with Mena became increasingly suspicious as he urged them to have patience with the details of the trips. In early June of 2015 the pastor of Saint Ignatius attempted to obtain credentials from Mena, who had been serving as a substitute priest since January. After Mena stalled and credentials couldn't be found, the pastor reported him to the police who began an investigation and met with the swindled church goers. Mena is said to have collected around $53,000, according to the L.A. County District Attorney.
Church officials say Mena has been on a list of 95 unauthorized priests and deacons kept by the archdiocese in L.A. since the list was created in 2008. The list, however, was not checked by Saint Ignatius because Mena was serving as a substitute. It's the same reason the church says they didn't immediately ask for credentials and a reference letter from his bishop, police say.
Support for LAist comes from
In addition to the phony Pope visits, Mena is also said to have sold a video about Pope Francis after mass for $25, along with a book he claimed that he wrote, entitled "Confessions of a Renegade Catholic Priest," according to court documents. Investigators have now concluded that Mena pirated the video from a recording done in Madrid.
Mena is also believed to have pretended to be a priest since the mid-1990s at parishes and prayer groups San Bernardino, Stockton, Fresno and Orange County, according to church officials. Whenever the archdiocese found out about Mena's activities, he would disappear.
Anyone with information about Erwin Mena is asked to contact LAPD Detective Guevara at (213) 486-6630, or visit LAPDOnline.org.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist