Reality TV Pastor Avoids Prison for Alleged Elder Fraud

Family that lost over $400K opposes plea bargain

UPDATE (Feb. 16, 2026)—Last week, a Denver, Colorado, judge ordered Lopez to pay the plaintiffs, Elsie and Ventura Lara, $311,000 in restitution for the construction project he never finished. 

Former pastor Tilo David Lopez, who appeared on the Lifetime reality show “Preacher’s Daughters,” will serve no jail time for allegedly bilking an elderly Colorado couple out of hundreds of thousands of dollars by pretending to be a general contractor.

Tilo Lopez from Season 3 of Pastor’s Daughters / Video screenshot

On Sept. 22, Lopez received 12 years probation in exchange for pleading guilty to filing a false tax return and attempting to commit theft, according to CBS News Colorado. The plea bargain also means Lopez no longer faces the original charges filed before his 2022 arrest—two counts of criminal exploitation of an at-risk adult. However, the defendant must return to court in November for a restitution hearing.

The plaintiffs, Elsie and Ventura Lara, contested the plea deal, telling the judge that Lopez’ actions had cost them over $400,000.

“We thought he was a good person; because he was a minister we trusted him—we thought he was a man of God,” Elsie said, according to CBS News Colorado.

In an impact statement, the Laras’ attorney Martha Eskesen outlined how Lopez allegedly convinced the Laras, who were in their 70s at the time and dealing with a recent cancer diagnosis, to take out a $520,000 loan—$250,000 of which went to Lopez immediately—and a second loan for $55,000.

Lopez was supposed to use the money to demolish and replace the home the Laras’ daughter lived in and do electrical work on a rental property. However, the couple said the work was never finished, resulting in the loss of tenants and the destruction of their daughter’s home.

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While the Laras were saddled with costly loan payments, “Lopez transferred a substantial portion of the funds he took from the Laras to his personal account and used the money for his own benefit, by purchasing plane tickets, clothes, massages, and Jeep tours,” Eskesen said.

The statement also emphasized Lopez’ long history of bankruptcies and criminal cases.

“To reflect the seriousness of his offenses, to promote respect for the law and to provide just punishment for his actions, the Laras request the Court impose a sentence that includes a term of incarceration,” the statement said.

Despite the Laras’ request, Judge Jay Sutherland Grant announced he would not “derail” the plea bargain, CBS News Colorado reported.

“Plea offers are based on a number of factors, including victim input, the strength of the case, the expected sentence at trial, and the sentences that defendants have received in similar cases,” said Denver District Attorney spokesperson Matt Jablow in a statement to CBS. “All of those factors were considered in Mr. Lopez’s case.”

Lopez was featured in the third season of Lifetime’s “Preacher’s Daughters” as the head of a Cabo San Lucas mission. He pastored Forge Denver Church Arvada and is associated with multiple non-profits, including Pneumos Christian Center, Pneumos Ministries and Mission Team Impact. Of the four ministries, only Mission Team Impact is not listed as delinquent.

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