Arlington man ran $3.2m fraud that claimed to fund religious projects, feds say
An Arlington resident is accused of lying about religious ventures to defraud dozens of people out of over a total of $3 million, U.S. attorneys said Friday.
fifty-three-year-old Richard Reinaldo Garcia was federally charged last month with wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Texas.
Garcia is accused of making “false material misstatements” to over 50 victims in the United States and internationally, according to the statement. In part, the misstatements got victims to provide funds for what they believed to be “church flipping” real estate projects, hosting Christian music concerts and other church programs.
Garcia then used the funds to pay for his living expenses from August 2021 through April 2025, U.S. attorneys said.
“The defendant allegedly took advantage of his victims’ faith by promising significant profits through investment opportunities but instead used their funds to selfishly enrich himself at their expense,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. “We will not stand idly by while North Texans fall victim to these unscrupulous schemes, and my office will work hard to seek out and prosecute those that commit these types of crimes.”
According to the indictment, Garcia controlled bank accounts in church-related entity names like “Ministerio Gracia,” “Gracia Church of Texas,” and “Pesar de Todo LLC.” He allegedly directed the victims to transfer funds to these accounts and label them as donations, according to the statement.
Garcia’s case will go to trial in a Fort Worth federal court in October. If convicted, he faces a mandatory sentence of two years and a sentence of up to 20 years each on the counts of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation encourages anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this fraud to fill out this questionnaire, available in English and Spanish.
