Riverside County deputies arrested a fake priest on Wednesday accused of burglarizing multiple churches throughout the U.S.
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The suspect, 45-year-old Malin Rostas, allegedly used his false persona of "Father Martin" to gain access to multiple churches before stealing items from them, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.
Riverside County Sheriff
Deputies pulled over Rostas, who is from New York, in the 10000 block of Pigeon Pass Road after recognizing the vehicle matched the description of the car used in the burglaries.
[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d2408.6088146649054!2d-117.2640878258851!3d33.96313472243292!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x80dcaedf36e3976d%3A0x4a9b2bcfba287213!2sPigeon%20Pass%20Rd%2C%20Moreno%20Valley%2C%20CA!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1712960245130!5m2!1sen!2sus allowfullscreen="" height="450" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="border:0" width="600"]During the traffic stop, deputies arrested Rostas for an outstanding felony warrant for a burglary in Pennsylvania. Investigators learned that he had tried to burglarize a local church before the traffic stop.
Rostas was booked for the outstanding warrant but deputies are expected to file additional charges for the attempted burglary in Moreno Valley.
Investigators believe there may be more victims and hope that sharing Rostas' photo will encourage them to come forward.
Anyone with information on this case or any similar ones should contact Investigators McCracken at the Moreno Valley Sheriff's Station at (951) 486-6700 or their local law enforcement agency.
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