Former Tri-Cities Pastor Indicted for Multi-Million Dollar Cryptocurrency Scam

[_act_]

Francier Obando Pinillo, age 51, of Miami, Florida, was charged with 26 counts of fraud in connection with running a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded investors of millions of dollars between November 2021 and October 2023. The Indictment alleges Pinillo used his position as pastor to induce members of his congregation and others to invest their money in a cryptocurrency investment business known as “Solano Fi.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwa/pr/former-tri-cities-pastor-indicted-multi-million-dollar-cryptocurrency-scam


People should learn about scam and avoid it instead. But the thing is that people are very ignorant which make it possible that this kind of thing might happen again elsewhere. We should trust no one but use our brain.

[btcltcdigger]

Just another case of an influencer scamming his followers, hahaha. But honestly, the way these "pastors" operate in the US, and these "Megachurches" it's just mind boggling for me as a European.
To be honest, i'm not surprised at all this happened. And mark my words, it will happen again

[Wiwo]

Francier Obando Pinillo, age 51, of Miami, Florida, was charged with 26 counts of fraud in connection with running a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded investors of millions of dollars between November 2021 and October 2023. The Indictment alleges Pinillo used his position as pastor to induce members of his congregation and others to invest their money in a cryptocurrency investment business known as “Solano Fi.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwa/pr/former-tri-cities-pastor-indicted-multi-million-dollar-cryptocurrency-scam


People should learn about scam and avoid it instead. But the thing is that people are very ignorant which make it possible that this kind of thing might happen again elsewhere. We should trust no one but use our brain.

One Bishop in my country developed a popular coin, I don't want to mention the name, but a very popular figure over here, his coin claims to have a higher value than even bitcoin, but the fact is that his coin is not traded on any exchange and investors are unknown may be his church members only, but rumors have it that investors are likely scammed since no one has proven to withdraw from their investments before despite the huge accumulated profits on the platform.

This shows how far greed has eaten into people, to the extent of using spiritual position to manipulate gullible followers, time has gone pass the era where one can trust another person when it comes to finances.

[lovesmayfamilis]

After such "skillful" pastors, all those teachings that church officials so diligently cram into the brains of believers turn to dust. What about the commandment not to steal? Or not to cheat? Or is it impossible to serve both God and mammon at the same time? Because of these greedy and unscrupulous people, religion can in an instant cease to be the faith for which wars were waged before. Complete disappointed about those people who should teach morality and decency. And the church, after all these cases, needs to start forgetting about that tenth share that pious believers bear.

[Davidvictorson]

The Indictment alleges Pinillo used his position as pastor to induce members of his congregation and others to invest their money in a cryptocurrency investment business known as “Solano Fi.”

This one is not a pastor but a con artist who has perfected the art. Therefore, he slowly made the people to have confidence in him as a religious leader and as soon as he saw that they would swallow every word he said with questioning he struck. You cannot serve God and mammon. This is what the Holy Book says and it is the truth. You are either a pastor leading or a con man, taking their money from them. He is not the first person of this position to be busted and he will not be the last of them. The congregrants should know that this is an age where they can find things out for themselves and know if it the truth or lies.

[Callido]

It's part of the time, nothing is unbelievable even the worst never thought about is happening. The relevance of money has killed both human instincts and whom we claim to serve. I won't call him out as a pastor not to render that role as full of patch hypocrite who in the hidden are embodied with the mindset of reaping people who believed in them as flocks who needs a shepherd but even with the human sympathy he failed and he should be served for his actions.

People need to learn not to believe whatever they are being told, scams are every where with any one as the cooperate, it does not really matter on whose influence, give a second reasoning as why you should get involved and take up further research. Crypto scams are now popular, it can happen in diverse way without knowing.

[Alpha Marine]

Just another case of an influencer scamming his followers, hahaha. But honestly, the way these "pastors" operate in the US, and these "Megachurches" it's just mind boggling for me as a European.
To be honest, i'm not surprised at all this happened. And mark my words, it will happen again

Actually, I'm also not surprised at all. Churches, or should I say legal religious organizations are the easiest way for fraud and money laundering. A colleague has even mentioned a theory where he said churches are a big source of money laundering and I agree with him.
In most countries, churches and mosques are left alone by the government. They don't pay property tax and they don't even pay income taxes. An organisation that has accounts and finances that cannot be audited by the government except there are reasons to have opportunities to do what they want under the radar. In the same way, people use charity organisations to launder money.

Then there's the issue of religious psychosis that religious leaders have on their followers. If they say a thing, others listen, how long will it take before we see crypto scams?

[AVE5]

After reading through the news it's made up that Pinillo is a disappointment to the religious legion with his luring skills to defraud a congregation based on trusts of religion believes.
This is one point of contact that should always remind us not to trust anyone nomatter how Worth trustful they may appear.
Lack of crypto knowledges has been one major of people who had been fallen into crypto scamming victims if we could learn that we can creating of wallets could be downloaded on their mobile phones or other electronic devices with free of charge (0-funds) and keep private holding of private keys, you can just hold your cryptocurrency safely.
They actually think investing your funds on crypto markets is like trading as usual explained to require technical knowledges coupled with the requirements of using PCs to monitor the market and also executes your trades.
They literally don't know you can just buy and hold your assets on the wallets while planned or your holding terms. And everyone who had successfully frauded victims we with to this scheme of "Invest in me and I'll hold and return profits to you at when due" are likely to scare such victims with the technicalities involved on Crypto investment while it's a lie.

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

Francier Obando Pinillo, age 51, of Miami, Florida, was charged with 26 counts of fraud in connection with running a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded investors of millions of dollars between November 2021 and October 2023. The Indictment alleges Pinillo used his position as pastor to induce members of his congregation and others to invest their money in a cryptocurrency investment business known as “Solano Fi.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edwa/pr/former-tri-cities-pastor-indicted-multi-million-dollar-cryptocurrency-scam


People should learn about scam and avoid it instead. But the thing is that people are very ignorant which make it possible that this kind of thing might happen again elsewhere. We should trust no one but use our brain.

Don't invest with people in bitcoin, instead, learn to know how to invest and do it by yourself, most of those being scammed are the type that like allowing someone to take charge or handle their investment portfolio for them all in the name of trust, but when it comes to money, we cant trust anyone including ourself, not to talk of the so called men of God, there are many like that still existing in the society we all lived in, under the hypnotized power of spiritual influence and are acting under ignorance because they failed to learn and grow, they are still living under captive without knowing.

[knowngunman]

Ignorance at its peak! This is the result of following so called man of God blindly. Some of the victims might just be hearing crypto for the first time but they didn't hesitate to invest their hard earned money simply because a pastor asked them to invest in a particular coin. It is high time people get to know that when someone is trying to convince them to invest in a particular coins, it's either their are part of the project Dev or they're somehow affiliated with the coin developers and would likely gain commission by bringing people to invest in such coins. Pastor is suppose to be preaching word of God and not interfering in your financial life. He can of course offer congregation advice on investment but not telling them to invest in a suspicious coins that will reck their lives.

[Coyster]

Pinillo "guaranteed" his investors that they will make ROI of 34.9% every month and that there is no risk involved, lol, and they believed him. I wonder how people believe they can make this kind of return every month, they are only thinking about how much they can make and they are not even looking at it logically.

Pinillo claimed the idea for Solano Fi had come to him in a dream and that it was a safe and guaranteed investment

Lol, in a dream, really? This has to be the funniest way to scam people.

[btcltcdigger]

Just another case of an influencer scamming his followers, hahaha. But honestly, the way these "pastors" operate in the US, and these "Megachurches" it's just mind boggling for me as a European.
To be honest, i'm not surprised at all this happened. And mark my words, it will happen again

Actually, I'm also not surprised at all. Churches, or should I say legal religious organizations are the easiest way for fraud and money laundering. A colleague has even mentioned a theory where he said churches are a big source of money laundering and I agree with him.
In most countries, churches and mosques are left alone by the government. They don't pay property tax and they don't even pay income taxes. An organisation that has accounts and finances that cannot be audited by the government except there are reasons to have opportunities to do what they want under the radar. In the same way, people use charity organisations to launder money.

Then there's the issue of religious psychosis that religious leaders have on their followers. If they say a thing, others listen, how long will it take before we see crypto scams?

They should tax churches and religious organizations, and even regulate them more strictly. I'm sure that 90% would disappear overnight. Or at least straighten their story and stop exploiting weak and gullible people for their own benefit. But i can see the appeal, church + crypto, it would being alot of attention as a "modern" method of service

[Su-asa]

Just another case of an influencer scamming his followers, hahaha. But honestly, the way these "pastors" operate in the US, and these "Megachurches" it's just mind boggling for me as a European.
To be honest, i'm not surprised at all this happened. And mark my words, it will happen again

These days it's very hard to trust antone pastor or not because if a pastor can do this to his religion believes means that no body is even safe. Even though the scammer pastor is arrested this same thing will happen again. No body is safe in the crypto space because those are the target. You are not wrong either, this will happen again even though it takes time.
However, let's not judge them, but from my observations many of them opened churches to scam people as they used God's name to lie so they can easily manipulate the mindset of their members and collect money from them.