There were many monk-like events taking place.
Federal authorities have charged that a fraudulent Catholic priest collected at least $650,000 for overseas medical clinics he claimed to run, but actually used the money donated to the fake charity to fund a lavish lifestyle that included lavish meals, trips to the Hamptons and plastic surgery.
Pawel Bielcki, known as “Father Paul,” claimed to be running a clinic in war-torn Lebanon, but he was 5,600 miles away in Manhattan.
The Capuchin Order of St. Mary's Province is headquartered in White Plains. J.C. Rice
“Biercki used his position as a religious to gain the trust of victims across the country and defraud them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Damien Williams of the Southern District of New York, who arrested the priest on Aug. 17 on charges of wire and mail fraud.
Authorities say the priest preyed on well-wishers for the past eight years, soliciting donations on local radio shows and crowdfunding websites for non-existent hospitals and ambulances in Lebanon.
This lying monk specifically took advantage of the horrific chemical explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020, which killed 218 people, to fill his coffers.
No one has yet been held responsible for the explosion, but Bielcki claims he was injured.
But prosecutors argued that not only was he not at the scene, but that he “made multiple purchases at coffee shops, restaurants and other stores” in Manhattan on the day of the disaster.
In fact, he did not leave the United States between December 2019 and April 2022.
Federal agents said Father Buck instructed targets in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia and Florida to send checks to his monastery with “Mission of Father Paul Biercki” written on the memo line.
“Biercki (above) used his position as a monk to gain the trust of his victims.
They steal hundreds of thousands of dollars all over the country.”
said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, F.S. Stanislaus Kostka.
He also cajoled his victims into mailing donations to St. Francis of Beirut, Inc., a nonprofit organization he established in the Manhattan convent where he lived.
According to the indictment, the monk withdrew approximately $50,000 in cash from his bank account between December 2017 and February 2024 and transferred more than $600,000 to two credit card companies to pay for personal expenses, including a $334-a-month membership to a luxury gym, trips to the Hamptons and “numerous meals at fine restaurants.”
Authorities say he also committed the cardinal sin of vanity, spending at least $15,000 on liposuction procedures.
Bielcki emailed the Pennsylvania woman saying her donation helped cover the cost of an overseas air ambulance flight. In reality, Bielcki had scheduled an appointment for a “body contouring exam” at a liposuction clinic “in New York City.” U.S. Attorney's Office – Southern District of New York
His lies could fill a confession room.
The 48-year-old priest has presented himself as a surgeon and a United Nations researcher and used several aliases, including “Dr Facon Sonderberg-Glucksberg.”
He legally changed his name to “HRH Paul” of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in September, with “HRH” standing for “His Royal Highness,” according to authorities.
Bielecki used the horrific explosion that destroyed much of Beirut on August 4, 2020 to bolster his coffers. AFP via Getty Images
“This is George Santos, a priest,” said a source familiar with the investigation.
Bielcki struck a chord with good people and got them to open up their purse strings.
“Doctors are being taken away at the Syrian border. Four doctors were supposed to accompany me, but they're in prison now,” he told the Rotary Club of Salam and Verrazzano in New York in 2018, according to a story in the Brooklyn Reporter.
Federal investigators say the Pennsylvania woman and her husband transferred $84,000 into Bielcki's bank account between June 2020 and October 2023.
Prosecutors said the monk who they say was seriously injured in the explosion was not at the scene and that he “made multiple purchases at coffee shops, restaurants and other establishments” in Manhattan on the day of the tragedy. AFP via Getty Images
The woman sent an email to President Bielcki on Christmas Eve 2021, wishing him “many blessings of comfort and peace during this sacred time” and the Lebanese people.
Two weeks later, Bielcki replied that he had purchased a new ambulance so he could visit villages in the far north and provide medical assistance.
The woman responded by email, expressing her joy, saying her “many prayers for an ambulance have been answered,” and sent Bielcki another $10,000.
The prudent pastor contacted her the day after Valentine's Day, writing: “God is great. The ambulance is fine. I have already given medical aid in some villages. People were crying. May God bless you both every minute of every day. With love from Fr Paul.”
Federal investigators say Bielcki had actually just gone for a “body contouring exam” at a New York City liposuction clinic and was scheduled to undergo a $15,000 cosmetic procedure on March 8.
According to court documents, a week after the surgery, Bielcki was in such high spirits that he withdrew $1,000 in cash and went on a shopping spree at an upscale Manhattan men's clothing store.
“Are you serious?” Brooklyn's reaction was “devastated”
Community leader Ralph Thacker said when he heard Bielcki had been charged
Being a cheater. Gabriela Bass
That same day, he exchanged four emails with a Pennsylvania couple, claiming he was “doing his best to continue operations” in Lebanon.
Those who trusted Bielcki were shocked when the Post reported his arrest.
“Are you serious?” said a shocked Ralph Thacker, a Brooklyn community leader who helped raise thousands of dollars at a fundraiser for Middle Eastern Christian refugees in Bay Ridge in 2018. “Oh my god, this is the worst news I've heard in years.”
A “devastated” Mr. Sucker, now 66 and an orphan who emigrated to the United States from Syria at age 10, said Mr. Bielcki was “very credible.”
“He was a very gentle, quiet guy who came on a mission to do this for children in the Middle East. I basically encouraged everyone to donate, and several of us, several individuals, donated between $1,000 and $2,000.”
John Abihabib, a member of the Salam Club of New York and honorary consul for Lebanon, was also a victim of the scam. “No way! I'm shocked!” he said.
When told he'd spent the money on appearances, including tummy tuck surgery, Bielcki added, “That's horrible, that's not right. Anyone trying to take advantage of good people, hard-working people… and not spend (donations appropriately)? That's painful. That's so painful.”
Authorities said Bielcki lived in a convent in Manhattan. Sources said he lived on Stanton Street on the Lower East Side.
Born in Poland, Father Bielecki joined the Franciscan Capuchin Order in Krakow in 1994, ironically taking a vow of poverty which required him to renounce material things and have no property or bank accounts.
The order provides each monk with a monthly stipend of $250 and a credit card for expenses.
He was ordained as a priest in 2001, church officials said.
Since 2011, he has been a “guest” of the Diocese of St. Mary, which covers New York and New England and is headquartered in White Plains.
He became a member of the state in 2019 after earning an advanced degree from New York University.
He lived in the church's parsonage on Stanton Street on the Lower East Side.
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A whistle-blower complaint was filed against Friar Buck in August 2023, at Bielcki's own behest.
“This order ensures that Father Paul's questionable behavior has been reported to the U.S. Attorney's Office and we will continue to cooperate fully,” Father Robert Abbatiello, provincial of St. Mary's Province, said in a statement.
“Until recently, there was no reason to doubt the authenticity of his credentials,” Abbatiello said. “The Province conducted a thorough internal investigation which revealed that Father Paulo was not who he claimed to be.”
“The friars are indignant and outraged that Father Paulo has betrayed our trust and that of others whom he deceived,” Abbatiello said.
At present, Bialecki remains a member of the order.
Father Robert Abbatiello, provincial of St. Mary's, said in a statement that the order “reported Father Paul's questionable behavior to the U.S. Attorney's Office and we continue to cooperate fully.”
“As the case progresses, the state is consulting with its superiors in Rome to determine the appropriate canonical course of action,” the spokesman said.
Bielcki, who is being held at the Federal Detention Center in Brooklyn, could not be reached.
He faces 40 years in prison on federal charges.
Thacker said the federal government is the least of this sycophantic monk's problems.
“God is the ultimate judge and will exact punishment between prison time here and hell in the next life.”
