Reality TV Show Pastor Charged with Grifting $250K from Elderly

A pastor who had a flash of fame in a reality tv show was arrested last week for using his contracting company to pocket $250,000 in elder fraud.

The Arvada Police Department arrested Tilo David Lopez, 55, on an at-large warrant following a 14-month-long investigation that was launched after a complaint alleged he and his company, Remodeling Specialists LLC, committed elder fraud.

The two senior victims, a husband and wife who owned a restaurant in Denver, claimed to have known Lopez for many years, according to a news release, during which he gained their trust. He presented himself as a general contractor, and they solicited his services to remodel their retirement home. He was also a religious minister.

The victims, who were in their 70s, took out a loan based on Lopez’s professional recommendation and estimates to complete the project and used it to pay him. Although the monies were exhausted, Lopez did not complete the work or explain how he spent the project’s funds.

According to the arrest warrant, Lopez transferred a significant portion of the funds to his personal account and spent the money on private projects and other unauthorized expenses, like glamorous trips, massages, and designer clothing.

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Lopez appeared briefly on Lifetime’s reality show “Preacher’s Daughters,” which ran for three seasons from 2013-2015. Lopez had a small role in the last season, appearing as the leader of a Cabo San Lucas mission, which was the base for the season’s episodes.

The total alleged theft is more than $250,000.

The plaintiffs were not the only victims. Court records show that Lopez has had at least seven separate judgments against him from 1994-2007, ranging from $100-2,000.

A former victim said in a Facebook post that he used to look up to Tilo: “My wife and I were victims of Tilo years back on our first house we bought. The sad part about everything is that even though our situation happened years ago he still doing the same thing to others.”

In a separate post, someone claimed Lopez took money from the poster’s mom after she became a widow unexpectedly. “He took advantage of her when she was morning (sic) the love of her life! He took every penny she received from my dads death and never did a thing to her home. She lost all her money and then her home she shared with my dad,” the post read.

In addition to Remodeling Specialists LLC, Lopez is associated with five other businesses.

Lopez pastored at Forge Denver Church Arvada, which opened in Jan. 2019. The church is currently in delinquent status.

Other registered non-profits associated with Lopez, Pneumos Christian Center and Pneumos Ministries, are also delinquent. However, Mission Team Impact, which lists Lopez’s wife as an agent, is in good standing.

The Denver D.A.’s office is seeking more information from potential victims of Lopez and Remodeling Specialists LLC. Lopez was charged with two felony counts of criminal exploitation of an at-risk adult.