Washington Pastor Charged In Cryptocurrency Scam

By Anthony • January 13, 2025 1:00 pm • Comments

A federal jury has indicted the lead pastor of a Spanish-speaking Church in Pasco, Washington, on charges of fraud in connection with a cryptocurrency scam.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington announced pastor Francis Obando Pinillo, 51, was charged with 26 counts of fraud stemming from a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded millions from investors.

Pinillo allegedly used his position as a pastor at Ministerio Apostolico Profetico Tiempos de Poder to invest in a cryptocurrency investment business known as “Solano Fi”.

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On Thursday, Pinillo was arraigned at the U.S. District Court in Richland on the fraud charges and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Per The DOJ:

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref announced that on November 7, 2024, a federal grand jury for the Eastern District of Washington returned an indictment charging Francier Obando Pinillo, age 51, of Miami, Florida, 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. Pinillo was arraigned today at the U.S. District Court in Richland, Washington.

Pinillo was pastor at Ministerio Apostolico Profetico Tiempos de Poder, a Spanish-language church in Pasco, Washington.

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.” Pinillo claimed the idea for Solano Fi had come to him in a dream and that it was a safe and guaranteed investment. The Indictment further alleges that Pinillo also recruited investors using social media, including a Solano Fi Facebook page as well as a Telegram group known as “Multimillionarios SolanoFi”, which had more than 1,500 members. The Indictment further alleges Pinillo told prospective investors that Solano Fi used cryptocurrency “staking” to guarantee a compounding monthly return of 34.9% with no risk. Pinillo explained that investors could access, view, and withdraw their money from Solano Fi through an online interface. However, as alleged in the indictment, the online application was actually designed to allow investors to see fraudulent purported balances and supposed investment gains but did not permit the investors to withdraw funds.

The indictment further alleges that, rather than investing funds on victims’ behalf as he had promised, Pinillo defrauded victims into making cryptocurrency transfers into accounts he designated, then converted the victims’ funds to himself and his co-schemers. Additionally, the indictment alleges that Pinillo convinced investors to recruit other investors, promising that the person who made the referral could earn additional returns for each additional investor they recruited.

The indictment alleges when victims tried to remove their assets from Solano Fi, Pinillo claimed he could not return the assets until cryptocurrency markets improved, or because the website or application was down, or that he would not return their investment unless the victim brought in a new investor to “buy out” their account. The indictment further alleges Pinillo told investors they were required to send more money to “repair” and upgrade the Solano Fi system so that investors could get their funds back.

Per NBC Right Now:

The pastor of a Spanish-language church in Pasco has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of fraud in connection with a cryptocurrency scam case, according to a release by the U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref announced that on November 7, 2024 Francier Obando Pinillo, 51, of Miami, Florida was charged with 26 counts of fraud stemming from a scam that defrauded investors of millions of dollars between November 2021 and October 2023.

Pinillo used his position as pastor at Ministerio Apostolico Profetico Tiempos de Poder to induce members of his congregation and others to invest their money in a cryptocurrency investment business known as “Solano Fi”, the release said.

“Fraudulent investment schemes are not new, but cryptocurrency scams are a new way fraudsters take money from hardworking, honest people,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Cryptocurrency fraudsters often quickly route funds to international accounts, which presents new challenges for law enforcement attempting to recover lost funds. My office and our partners at the FBI are committed to doing all we can to recover the proceeds of these frauds for victims and to hold the people running these scams accountable.”

Pinillo was arraigned Thursday, January 9, 2025 at the U.S. District Court in Richland on the fraud charges which carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison, the release said.

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