Leroy Dowd, 71, allegedly got the woman, 87, to sign over the deed to the house in Claremont, Calif., by promising to get her widow's benefits from Social Security and Medicare, prosecutors said. He faces charges that include grand theft, identity theft and forgery, while two alleged conspirators are charged with helping him get financing.

Shiara Davila, a spokeswoman for the office, said Dowd used the title of bishop when he ran the Triumph Church of God. The church has gone out of business.

Dowd has also been involved with running a funeral home, Dowd and Gonzalez Funeral Directors. The District Attorney's Office said investigators suspect he stole the identities of some of the dead who passed through the funeral home.