Texas man accused of scamming churches in Milwaukee area out of hundreds of dollars
Alan Farha
MILWAUKEE -- 40-year-old Alan Farha of Carrollton, Texas is charged with theft for allegedly scamming multiple churches and parishioners in the Milwaukee area out of money.
According to the criminal complaint, Farha attended a church service at St. Veronica's on Tuesday, May 24th and "told the congregation that his parents had died from a roadside bomb and he needed to go to Syria to identify them." Parishioners "collected about $400 total...and gave the money directly to the defendant."
The priest at St. Veronica's was also approached by Farha, according to the complaint. The priest told Farha "they will pray for him and his family but that they do not give money." The priest told police "he remembered receiving a bulletin regarding someone going to churches scamming people out of money." The priest located this alert -- and discovered it was the defendant in this case.
The complaint goes on to say Farha committed similar acts at St. Charles Borromeo Church and Nativity Church.
Further investigation showed Farha has been "convicted of scamming other churches around the country."
At a church in Rochester, Minnesota, he conned "churchgoers out of $1,200 and he was placed on five years probation for this offense in February 2016."
Farha has also been arrested for similar fraud in New Hampshire, Missouri, West Virginia, New York and Illinois.
If convicted on this charge, Farha faces up to nine months in prison and $10,000 in fines.