Preacher’s Crypto Scheme: Pulpit Used To Defraud Thousands Of Members

Crypto scammers are becoming more creative in their attempts to swindle and fool unsuspecting investors and individuals. Even more alarming is that these scammers don’t fit a specific profile or background. That’s precisely what happened to Ministerio Apostólico Profético Tiempos de Poder parishioners in Pasco, Washington, when they fell for a cryptocurrency scam run by their pastor.

According to the US Department of Justice, the Eastern District of Washington has formally charged Francier Obando Pinillo, a 51-year-old Miami resident and pastor, with 26 counts of fraud.

The DOJ released a document stating that the pastor masterminded a crypto scam from November 2021 to October 2023, costing unsuspecting investors millions of dollars.

Solano Fi Came To The Pastor “In A Dream”

Pinillo was the pastor of the Ministerio Apostólico Profético Tiempos de Poder in Pasco, Washington, with its Spanish-speaking congregation. According to the charge sheet, the scam was called “Solano Fi.” This was not your ordinary crypto scam that you’ve read many times online. According to multiple sources, the idea to offer a crypto investment came to Father Pinillo in “a dream.”

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Pinillo used the pulpit and his authority in the parish to sell the investment to his congregation, assuring that Solano Fi was safe and offered guaranteed payouts. The pastor reportedly dangled a monthly return of 34.9%, and to attract more investors, he ran a social media blitz.

Pinillo allegedly launched a Telegram group, the “Multimillionarios SolanaFi,” with more than 1,500 members, and a Solano Fi Facebook page.