PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Times
By PATTI MENGERS
pmengers@delcotimes.com
Twenty months after federal agents seized his computer in connection with a potential pyramid scheme, the Rev. Geraldo Pinero has been deemed unsuitable for ministry by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.
The 47-year-old Roman Catholic priest, who served at St. Joseph Parish in Aston from 2000 to 2003, was found to be in violation of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries.
In a press release, archdiocesan officials declined to elaborate on the priest’s violation, but noted that he has been on administrative leave from his position as pastor of Incarnation of Our Lord parish in the Olney section of Philadelphia since November 2010 “when federal authorities executed a search warrant at the parish rectory.”
According to the Associated Press, on Nov. 16, 2010, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided Incarnation’s rectory and seized a computer after learning Pinero allegedly endorsed online multilevel marketing companies. Reportedly, none of the companies were found guilty of any wrongdoing, but Federal Communications Commission officials warned that such plans can be dubious pyramid schemes.
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