WHITE PLAINS, New York – In a shocking case of deceit and exploitation, a Manhattan Franciscan friar, Pawel Bielecki, was arrested on Saturday, August 17, 2024 for wire and mail fraud related to a fake medical charity in Beirut, Lebanon.
Bielecki, also known as “Paul Bielecki,” a/k/a “Paul HRH Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,” a/k/a “Dr. Phaakon Sonderburg-Glucksburg,” a/k/a “Father Paul,” a/k/a “Father Kowal,” will be presented in White Plains federal court later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause.
According to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, Bielecki exploited his position as a friar to gain the trust of victims across the country and steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from them.
As alleged in the Complaint, Bielecki is a friar in the Capuchin Order, a Catholic order of priests and brothers. He is a brother in a Province based in White Plains, which operates friaries in, among other places, New York City. To become a Capuchin friar, Bielecki took a vow of poverty that requires him to renounce and not to hold any property or bank accounts in his name for his personal benefit.
The Province provides friars, including Bielecki, with a monthly stipend of approximately $250 for personal expenses, as well as a credit card, paid for by the Province, for friary-related expenses.
Bielecki has engaged in an ongoing fraudulent scheme related to fake medical clinics he claims to operate in Lebanon. Through appearances and advertisements on radio programs and online podcasts, as well as various other media, including campaigns on various crowdfunding websites, Bielecki has fraudulently obtained donations from victims by claiming, among other misrepresentations, to run medical clinics in Beirut, Lebanon, when in fact Bielecki was keeping victims’ donations for his personal use.
For example, from at least in or about June 2015 through at least in or about December 2023, Bielecki repeatedly appeared as a guest or through advertisements on a particular local New York radio show (“Radio Program‑1”). During these appearances and advertisements, Bielecki repeatedly represented that he was a Catholic priest and physician living in Lebanon and running medical clinics there, with the goal of assisting Christians living in the Middle East.
Bielecki is charged with wire fraud and mail fraud. The exact dollar amounts that were stolen are not specified in the source, but it is estimated that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the victims.
Bielecki will be presented in White Plains federal court later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause.
Defendant: Pawel Bielecki
Criminal Charges: Wire fraud and mail fraud
City and State: White Plains, New York
Exact Date: Saturday, August 17, 2024
Sentence or Outcome: Currently awaiting trial
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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