Philadelphia priest involved in pyramid scheme is removed from ministry
July 16, 2012
A Philadelphia priest who has been involved in an online business venture has been found “unsuitable for ministry.”
Father Geraldo Pinero violated established standards for priestly conduct, the archdiocese said. An official statement did not specify the nature of the offense, but Church officials emphasized that Father Pinero was not involved in the investigation of sex-abuse complaints that have led to the suspension of some other Philadephia clerics.
Father Pinero had apparently been a local representative of an Illinois-based company known as Teamwork Revolution Power Systems. The business promised attractive rewards to individuals who recruited others into the work. The priest identified himself in public as a “business owner,” in apparent violation of archdiocesan policy that priests are not allowed to seek outside employment.
In November 2010, federal investigators searched the rectory of the parish where Father Pinero was assigned. No criminal charges were filed, but the archdiocese suspended his public ministry beginning at that time.
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