Fake Priest Accused of Stealing from Churches Across the Country Arrested in California

A man accused of stealing from churches by pretending to be a priest has been arrested in California.

Malin Rostas, 45, was taken into custody by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies on April 10, according to a sheriff’s department news release.

The release said he was arrested after deputies spotted his vehicle, which matched the description of one used in thefts from churches. Rostas had an outstanding felony warrant from Pennsylvania for burglary.

Further investigation connected Rostas to a string of thefts and burglaries from across the U.S. as well as in Canada.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Rostas would allegedly show up at Roman Catholic churches claiming to be “Father Martin,” a visiting priest.

Trending:

John Mellencamp Leaves Stage During Concert After Heckler Says ‘Just Play Some Music’; Audience Left Wondering if Show Will Continue

Once shown into the rectory where the real priest lived, the imposter would grab cash and valuables and leave.

Father Peter Raydar of American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church in Queens, New York, had $900 stolen by a visiting “priest,” allegedly Rostas, last month.

Raydar said the thief must have done his homework because he knew the names of people at the parish and “used vocabulary a priest would,” according to WABC-TV.

Do you attend a church?

“He’s a vulture. … He knows what he’s doing,” Raydar said at the time. “It’s very sad that someone is going to come to any house of worship and just violate it.”

The Diocese of Brooklyn said the fake priest also visited other churches in New York, while the Los Angeles Times reported that Rostas is accused of stealing $500 from a church in Houston and more than $1,700 from a church in Oregon.

According to The New York Times, “Father Martin” tried his scam on six Dallas churches in October, but nothing was stolen.

The warrant used to arrest Rostas said that he was suspected of taking $15,500 in cash from a home in Adams County, Pennsylvania in May 2022, according to WGAL-TV. The outlet reported that British police helped identify Rostas.

Rostas also used the alias Moyse Lingurar. At the time of his arrest, he had apparently disguised himself by wearing a hairpiece and dyeing his beard black.

Related:

Missouri Teen Kaylee Gain Makes Shocking Recovery After Brutal Fight that Left Her in Coma – ‘Power of Prayer’

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office news release described the suspect as Romanian.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

“We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” Those 12 words have been stuck in my head since I first read them. 

 

Former Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn recently made that comment to Floyd Brown, founder of The Western Journal. 

 

And if the leftists and the elites get their way, that’s exactly what will happen — no real election, no real choice for the Electoral College, and no real say for the American people. 

 

The Western Journal is fighting to keep that from happening, but we can’t do it alone.

 

We work tirelessly to expose the lying leftist media and the corrupt America-hating elites.

 

But Big Tech’s stranglehold is now so tight that without help from you, we will not be able to continue the fight. 

 

The 2024 election is literally the most important election for every living American. We have to unite and fight for our country, otherwise we will lose it. And if we lose the America we love in 2024, we’ll lose it for good. Can we count on you to help? 

 

With you we will be able to field journalists, do more investigative work, expose more corruption, and get desperately needed truth to millions of Americans. 

 

We can do this only with your help. Please don’t wait one minute. Donate right now.

 

Thank you for reading,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

P.S. Please stand with us today.



Source link