A Los Angeles man who posed as both a pastor and an attorney has been charged with defrauding parishioners at a San Francisco church of more than $400,000, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors alleged Tuesday that Kenny Man Wong, 56, presented himself as “Dr. Wong” while serving as a visiting pastor at a church on 19th Avenue in the Sunset District, beginning in 2018. Using that position of trust, he allegedly offered legal services to parishioners, claiming ties to prestigious universities and assuring them he was handling their cases.
Wong has never been licensed to practice law in California and did not provide the promised legal services, according to court records. Instead, he allegedly used the money to buy a home in Southern California.
When confronted, prosecutors say, Wong reassured his victims by appealing to their shared faith.
He faces four counts of grand theft and was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins urged residents seeking legal help to verify an attorney’s license with the State Bar of California.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone with information about this case to contact District Attorney Investigator Gavroian at (415) 916-9443.