A federal grand jury indicted pastor Richard Reinaldo Garcia, 53, on June 2, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, Garcia ran several entities tied to his church, Gracia Church, to solicit investments in church renovations, Christian concerts abroad and mission trips to Kenya. More than 50 victims in the United States and overseas paid over $3.2 million between August 2021 and April 2025, according to the indictment.
Garcia faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was arrested on May 2, 2026, at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. He pleaded not guilty on June 9. His trial is set for Oct. 13 in Fort Worth.
“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, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office published on July 14, 2026. “We will not stand idly by while North Texans fall victim to these unscrupulous schemes.”
Investors gave $50,000 to renovate and resell a church in Arlington. Garcia told them the project had produced a 55% profit, reinvested elsewhere without their authorization. None of it was true, according to the indictment. Other investors transferred $125,000 for a renovation in Texarkana and $168,000 for one in Lubbock. Neither project was ever carried out.
Concerts and trips that never happened
Garcia also pitched investors on funding Christian concerts in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, promising a share of ticket sales. One investor paid $40,000 for a Dominican Republic concert; another paid $100,000 to book a stadium in Colombia. Only one concert took place. No investor was repaid, according to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI agent on April 9, 2026.
Garcia also sold church trips to Kenya for $2,000 a person. He canceled them or never booked them at all, the indictment states. To keep anxious investors calm, he made small payments to them, described in the court filing as “lulling payments.”
Investments relabeled as donations
Garcia controlled bank accounts under several church-linked entity names: Ministerio Gracia, Iglesia Gracia de Texas, Gracia Church of Texas, MG Kingdom Inc. and A Pesar de Todo LLC — Spanish for “despite everything.” He directed investors to label their transfers as “donations” to Gracia Church rather than as business investments. Some investors believed the donations would boost the church’s revenue and help it secure future loans, according to the criminal complaint.
Garcia also used another person’s name and address, without authorization, to file business formation documents with the Texas Secretary of State. That conduct led to the aggravated identity theft charge.
Pastors monetizing their congregants’ trust are not unique to Texas. In Nigeria, eight pastors were charged with outsourcing their miracles to hired actors.
Garcia faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each wire fraud-related count, and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
“The FBI remains committed to investigating those who misuse positions of trust to further fraudulent investment schemes,” said R. Joseph Rothrock, FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement published on July 14, 2026.
