Man accused of scamming nuns is captured in Las Vegas

A New Jersey man who skipped town after he was accused of bilking money from nuns was captured in Las Vegas on Monday, the Philadelphia Daily News reported.

In November, Adriano Sotomayor, 54, was indicted by federal prosecutors on 13 counts of mail fraud. He allegedly scammed more than $439,000 from the Dominican Sisters of the Rosary of Fatima and others between May 2009 and June 2011 through a bogus will scheme, according to the FBI.


The Dominican Sisters of the Rosary of Fatima operates out of Puerto Rico and has members in cities in the Philadelphia-South Jersey area.

Sotomayor allegedly persuaded an elderly nun that she had been named a beneficiary in a will of an estate estimated at $2.1 million, the indictment said.

He reportedly was able to lure the nun by telling her the man notifying her of the will was a priest, and the person leaving the will was a parishioner.

Sotomayor, according to prosecutors, induced the nun to send him $255,379 from May 30, 2009 to February 4, 2010 by telling her she needed to pay taxes and other fees associated with the bogus will.

He also allegedly targeted other victims as well with a similar scam. Some of the money was sent by wire transfers to Atlantic City casinos, according to prosecutors.

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Just when you think people can't stoop any lower...

  • 3 votes
Reply#1 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 5:30 PM EST

I know how Low can you go.? Churchs been Scamming since beginning of Time. If not then Heaven Must be larger than the Total Universe, unless there be noone there Cause since beginning of Time it would not fit everyone and Thing!!!. Plus, an Olive Tree must be able to Grow Underwater.

  • 4 votes
Reply#2 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 5:50 PM EST

Wonder if he is any relation to the new Supreme Court Judge. And a big "you're going to hell for that"

  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 5:55 PM EST

Ha! Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people. I went to catholic school in the 60's and 70's and the nuns were nasty and mean. Where the heck did the old bag get $200,000 dollars from?. So much for them living the simple life!.

  • 5 votes
Reply#4 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 5:59 PM EST

He earned a one way ticket to hell .

  • 2 votes
Reply#5 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:03 PM EST
wrgeerDeleted

Mean and nasty yorgasgirl? You must have been a little miscreant. I went to Catholic schools in the 50's - 60's. The worst term I could use is strict. They nuns were no-nonsense for sure. They were there to teach, you were there to learn, period. The nuns were not nurse maids and babysitters like you see in the public schools today. Also, if you goofed off and got a little discipline at school, you got another dose at home. The parents, in most cases two parent homes with a (GASP) stay at home mom, backed the nuns too!

Many years ago my mother had a laughing fit. Took her awhile to settle down. I'm wondering what's so funny. She finally explained. "I was looking at you and the thought came to me. If I was raising you in today's society, me and most of your teachers (nuns) would be in jail for child abuse". Hee Hee, got my knuckles whacked with a ruler many times.

  • 8 votes
Reply#7 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 6:33 PM EST

The Sisters of Perpetual Responsibility and other religious of the Roman Catholic sect don't always swear a vow of poverty, especially priests. There is an independent service station in our town that caters to retired folks, including nuns, who live at a nearby palatial retirement home for knuckle-smashers. He provides full service, and charges about $5 per gallon for gas. The good Sisters don't bat an eyelash at the cost...

  • 4 votes
Reply#8 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:27 PM EST

Even Nuns are greedy ..

  • 3 votes
Reply#9 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:43 PM EST

The point is not that the victim is a nun or the Roman Catholic Church it is a person taking advantage of another person. The person could care less who the victim was or who they represented.

Focus on the issue ...

    Reply#10 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:49 PM EST

    I take it that neither God or the Bible gave these nuns much in the way of wisdom.

    • 3 votes
    Reply#11 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:00 PM EST

    He scammed the nuns then the casinos scammed him.
    Wonder how he found out the old gals had access to that much dinero?

    • 2 votes
    Reply#12 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:09 PM EST

    I am a Catholic hater and I was one -- this is typical of their crap-- they say they are broke and cant pay the abused by their pedophiles but theyve got tons of bucks to pay scammers -- it is the Rosary for Fat Nuns who sit on their old asses and wait for more big deals -- Catholic lovers are true idiots -- the one who baptized my wife and was like a God at Seattle U and was found to be a pedophile a couple of years ago --- he was a Theologin at Seattle U -- tought students how to grab young kids in my book ------what a sick religion!

    • 3 votes
    Reply#13 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:09 PM EST

    You should be thankful to the church.Yes it is messed up,it is imperfect.It is also the reason we have the USA,freedom,comfort,and the world as we know it.Imagine a twilight zone where the church never happened,it would be scary. Old ladies getting scammed was the story-that's not good .Right?

      #13.1 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:26 PM EST

      Actually the reason we have freedom of religion in this country is that the original voting laws expressly forbid Catholics the right to vote along with most other Christian sects, Muslims, and the Jews.

      • 2 votes
      #13.2 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:51 AM EST
      Reply

      $255,000? I'm in the wrong business. Bet it was tax free,too.

      • 1 vote
      Reply#14 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:42 PM EST

      Such Frauds are common on the internet and mobiles. The internet ie. email ids are full with such fake emails and also the mobiles get sms's sometimes about such schemes. We have to be carefull especially when a huge amount is promised and some processing fees and taxes are asked by such fraudsters. In this case they chose to cheat the Holy Women of God who do good work for the community. GOD BLESS THE NUNS. GOD BLESS THE USA.

      Kevin Valentine Moraes

      Mira Road (Thane)

      • 1 vote
      Reply#15 - Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:47 PM EST

      Isnt his sister on the supreme court?

        Reply#16 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:04 AM EST

        Nun comes running into Abby

        Yelling Mother Superior I have been raped.

        Mother Superior tells her to go to kitchen and eat a piece of lemon

        Nun asks Mother will that cure it.

        Mother said No. But it will wipe that smile off your face!!

        In this case. You can hear the Nun saying I am so Stupid.

        Officer saying when can see that . it is obvious by the clothes your wearing.

        Being conned is having to prove how dumb you are and how sart defendant is. Ordeal.

        • 3 votes
        Reply#17 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:10 AM EST

        Greed will undo you every-time and with 439,000 dollars laying around it makes you wonder who they scammed that from....

        • 3 votes
        Reply#18 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:43 AM EST

        The nun payed him $250,000? What in the hell is a nun doing with $250,000?!

        • 3 votes
        Reply#19 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:00 AM EST

        hey-Zeus sells

        for those not satisfied with what God ( Yaweh) gave us

        to want to live forever ,on streets of gold, in mansions

        Sh-t sells

        • 1 vote
        #19.1 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:01 PM EST
        Reply

        lol what a bunch of sluts

        • 1 vote
        Reply#20 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 8:10 AM EST

        I don't even know how to RESPOND to that.

          #20.1 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:17 AM EST

          cat-o-lics

          take a vow of cellibacy (will not marry)

          not a vow of chastity (no sex)

          • 1 vote
          #20.2 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:04 PM EST
          Reply

          The story is this guy is a scumbag. But how can anyone reading this not be astounded that the nuns had $255,000 to simply give to this guy? Who has oversight of this order? Are they really that dense or just greedy? You cannot be scammed by this type of con unless you think you are getting something back. How much good could have been done with that blown money? How much more do they have? Hmmmm....

          • 1 vote
          Reply#21 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 9:53 AM EST

          "Some of the money was sent by wire transfers to Atlantic City casinos, according to prosecutors" - Was he an apprentice for Donald Trump?

            Reply#22 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:29 AM EST

            Yep, I was pretty much raised by nuns. You wouldn't ever think to talk back. Sister Pierre had a large wooden paddle hanging next to the chalk board. I had these words carved into it.

            "TO BE APPLIED TO THE SEAT OF LEARNING"

            If I were dumb enough to go home and tell my parents I got my hands slapped... I would just get smacked again at home. Didn't have no school shootings in those days.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#23 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:32 PM EST

            Actually folks, it is rather hilarious on this thread. I responded to one poster. True enough, not quite on the subject, but, one can always make a direct response to a post. That's the American way.

            There seems to be some real Catholic haters on this thread though. There is nothing in Catholic Doctrine for any individual to not use their brains. The vow of poverty not withstanding, anyone in a religious order is not prevented from investing the pittance they receive each month. How did that nun amass that amount of money? Who knows for sure? She may have entered into the sisterhood from a very rich family to begin with. That does happen.

            I certainly agree that she, along with thousands of others, get scammed big time. I keep shaking my head when I read about people getting duped by these scams. Those jellyfish that engage in this, if caught, should be sent to the pokey for a very long time. They really seem to prey on the elderly though, the most vulnerable people. Dementia sets in with aging. Heck, I go into the kitchen and forget what I am going into the kitchen for before I get there. I admit that. However; maybe I should thank the nuns from the old days. They taught me the method of logical thinking.

            Now for some of you bashers out there. Do you really think that all these scammers that come up with they were abused by a priest 30-40 years ago are legit? Talk about scams, they know where the easy money is too. I have a little problem with the Catholic Church folding and not fighting all this court. Prove it I say.

            The first few cases and the settlements, set a precedent that has become a scammer haven. I am not saying that no priest, brother or sister may have not done it. Hell, it happens in all segments of society regardless of any religious affiliation.

            What I can tell tell you for a fact is that from grade school through high school no funny feller ever approached me. Maybe some of you bashers should have went to a Catholic School. You might have gotten an edjumication on reality. Guess you bashers are a product of the PC correct public education system.

            • 1 vote
            Reply#24 - Tue Feb 28, 2012 10:39 PM EST

            Dude just booked a ticket on the Hell Express - Sitting in Demon class

              Reply#25 - Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:03 AM EST
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