http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mp ... an/3188716

May 19, 2005, 7:53AM

Salvadoran minister remains jailed here
Accused of lying on an application for a passport, he goes to court for a hearing today
By EDWARD HEGSTROM
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Edgar Lopez Bertrand, one of the most influential ministers in El Salvador, has been jailed in Houston while awaiting a hearing in federal district court today on charges of falsifying information on a passport application.

Lopez Bertrand, 65, was detained Monday after arriving at Bush Intercontinental Airport while in transit to Israel. His case has become front-page news in El Salvador, where he heads a church as well as a TV network and radio station.

His followers have started a campaign seeking his release, including the distribution of yellow ribbons and bumper stickers in El Salvador.

"We have given more than a thousand yellow ribbons as a way to show solidarity to our pastor," said the pastor's son, Edgar Lopez Bertrand Jr.

Lopez Bertrand, known in El Salvador as "Hermano Toby," has not been able to call his family in El Salvador from the federal detention center in Houston, his son said.

A representative of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston confirmed Lopez Bertrand is in custody but refused to comment on the conditions of his detention. Lopez Bertrand has been charged on a warrant out of Washington, D.C., said the spokeswoman, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Herrera.

A complaint out of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleges Lopez Bertrand made a false statement on the application for a passport, Herrera said. The case has not yet gone before a grand jury for indictment. If convicted, Lopez Bertrand could face up to 10 years in prison.

On Jan. 27, Lopez Bertrand presented a false Salvadoran birth certificate to apply for a passport for a person whom he claimed as his daughter, according to the complaint. The girl is not Lopez Bertrand's biological daughter and has not been legally adopted by him, the complaint said.

The pastor is represented by a court-appointed federal public defender in Houston who did not return a call seeking comment.

Lopez Bertrand heads the Baptist Biblical Tabernacle Friends of Israel Church in San Salvador, an evangelical congregation that claims 200,000 followers.

Since Tuesday, followers have crowded into his church to pray for Hermano Toby's release.

News reports in El Salvador indicate Lopez Bertrand holds both Salvadoran and U.S. citizenship. The reports allege he attempted to apply for a passport for a girl who lives in an orphanage he runs by claiming her as his daughter.

A diplomatic representative from the Salvadoran Consulate in Houston was able to meet with Lopez Bertrand and confirm that he is in good health, a consulate spokeswoman said.

It was not immediately clear why the Salvadoran Consulate would visit Lopez Bertrand if he is a U.S. citizen.

The United States does not recognize dual citizenship. Those who hold U.S. citizenship are considered U.S. citizens only, according to the State Department.

Freelancer Alvaro Cruz Rojas contributed to this report from San Salvador.

edward.hegstrom@chron.com