Italian police disguised themselves as priests in a covert operation to catch bad guys disguised as cardinals.

A gang of alleged fraudsters would dress up as cardinals and priests to trick people to give them money by promising them loans from the Vatican bank. 😑

The Carabinieri police claim the fraudsters swindled people out of €1.7 million (approximately $2M USD) in the course of 20 different scams.

The five men part of this gang, ages 58-75, would act holier-than-thou dressed in robes and would present themselves as "the Vatican's intermediary."

Police officers caught the fake cardinals by going undercover as fake priests. Can't make it up.

All five men have been charged with fraud and qualified theft, and were arrested at Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, in Rome's central Piazza Esedra.

Did you also read that as "pizzeria"... or was it just me?...