Rev. Fr. arrested for using $650K donations to fund lavish lifestyle while lying to donors he was helping sick people in Lebanon

A Catholic Reverend father has been arrested by Police authorities for lying to donors after he raised at least $650,000 for overseas medical clinics he claimed to operate, but in reality used the donations to fuel an extravagant lifestyle that included ‘heavenly’ meals, trips to the Hamptons and plastic surgery.

Pawel Bielecki, known as “Father Paul,” claimed he ran medical clinics in war-torn Lebanon, meanwhile he was 5,600 miles away in Manhattan, New York..

“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,” said Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, which collared the clergyman on Aug. 17 on charges of wire and mail fraud.

For eight years, the priest allegedly preyed on the compassionate members of his flock, soliciting donations on local radio shows and crowdfunding websites for non-existent Lebanese hospitals and ambulances, authorities said.

The cleric allegedly exploited the horrific August 4, 2020 chemical explosion in Beirut, which killed 218 people to fill his wallet, claiming he was hurt in the attack.

But prosecutors said he wasn’t even there and “made several purchases at coffee shops, restaurants and other businesses” in Manhattan on the day of the disaster.