SAN ANTONIO – The owner of Angelic Monuments was arrested again, this time on new charges, according to court records.
Elena Moreno, 47, is charged with theft between $30,000 and $150,000, a second-degree felony.
San Antonio police said an arrest warrant was executed Tuesday for Moreno. She was released later that day on a $35,000 bond, court records revealed.
From August 2020 through around April 2023, the 15 victims met with Moreno at Angelic Monuments.
The families spent a combined total of $42,264 on the headstones, according to San Antonio police. Their payments ranged from cash, checks, and credit cards.
Moreno would request a large amount of cash to “guarantee” the purchases would be paid for before ordering the custom headstones, according to her arrest affidavit.
After contracts were signed, the victims were not able to reach Moreno, saying it was rare for her to respond, SAPD said.
According to police, Moreno intended to keep the victims’ money and not produce the headstones.
Police said Moreno has not provided any of the headstones to the victims and has not refunded them.
Previous legal troubles
Moreno was previously arrested on March 16 after a family told police they wrote a $8.508.09 check for a headstone that never came.
The arrest affidavit said Moreno gave the family a 9-to-12-month delay because of COVID.
The family attempted to reach Moreno from Oct. 12, 2023, until Feb. 12, 2024, but said Moreno would barely respond, according to SAPD.
Then, they got a notification from First Memorial Park Funeral Home advising them that other families who purchased headstones from Moreno also had issues getting them.
KSAT attempted to reach out to Moreno by emailing, messaging on social media, and stopping by her listed businesses and home addresses, but she never responded.
Moreno was formally charged with theft between $2,500 and $30,000, considered a state jail felony.
In total, 12 people contacted KSAT to say they gave Moreno money for a headstone they never received.
Through paperwork, KSAT confirmed the families that came forward spent a combined total of $40,000 on the headstones.
KSAT will update you with the latest details as they become available.