A Catholic reverend has been removed by police authorities for deceiving donors after raising at least $650,000 for supposed medical clinics overseas.
Instead of using the funds as claimed, Father Pawel Bielecki—also known as “Father Paul”—used the donations to support a lavish lifestyle, including extravagant meals, trips to the Hamptons, and plastic surgery.
Bielecki, who falsely claimed to operate medical clinics in war-torn Lebanon, was actually 5,600 miles away in Manhattan, New York. According to Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Bielecki exploited his position as a friar to gain donors’ trust and embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars. He was arrested on August 17 on charges of wire and mail fraud.
For eight years, the priest allegedly solicited donations through local radio shows and crowdfunding websites, claiming they would support hospitals and ambulances in Lebanon.
Authorities say Bielecki even exploited the August 4, 2020 chemical explosion in Beirut, falsely claiming he was injured in the attack. However, prosecutors noted he was in Manhattan on that day and made several purchases in the city, without leaving the U.S. between December 2019 and April 2022.
Bielecki directed donors across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Georgia, and Florida to send checks to his friary with “Fr. Paul Bielecki’s Mission” noted in the memo line. He also encouraged people to donate to “St. Francis in Beirut Inc.,” a non-profit he set up at his Manhattan residence.
Between December 2017 and February 2024, the priest withdrew nearly $50,000 in cash from his accounts and transferred over $600,000 to credit card companies for personal expenses.
This included $334 a month for a luxury gym membership, trips to the Hamptons, and numerous high-end meals. He allegedly spent at least $15,000 on liposuction surgery. Bielecki used multiple aliases and falsely claimed to be a surgeon or UN researcher, even legally changing his name to “Paul HRH Saxe-Coburg-Gotha” in September, with “HRH” standing for “His Royal Highness.”
In 2018, Bielecki misled the Salaam Club of New York and the Rotary Club of Verrazano about his medical missions. A Pennsylvania couple transferred $84,000 to his account between June 2020 and October 2023. Despite Bielecki’s assurances about purchasing an ambulance and providing medical aid, the reality was that he was arranging his $15,000 liposuction surgery.
John Abi-Habib, a member of the Salaam Club and an honorary consul of Lebanon, expressed his shock and disappointment, saying, “That’s scary, man, that’s not right. Anyone who exploits good and hardworking people, and then misuses the donations, it hurts. It hurts a lot.”
Bielecki, originally from Poland, joined the Capuchin Franciscans in Krakow in 1994, taking a vow of poverty which prohibited him from owning property or having bank accounts. He was ordained a priest in 2001.
