Man says he was offered $400,000 to stay silent by associates of removed Metairie deacon Wheeler befriended the family of the plaintiff, now 32, when the child was about 10 years old, long before he became a deacon, according to the lawsuit. Author: David Hammer / Eyewitness Investigator, Ramon Antonio Vargas / The New Orleans Advocate Published: 5:07 PM CDT July 26, 2021 Updated: 6:31 PM CDT July 26, 2021 METAIRIE, La. — A man who claims he was molested as a boy by V.M. Wheeler, a local lawyer and recently-ordained Catholic deacon, is now alleging that associates of the cleric tried to keep him from going public, and even offered to pay him $400,000 if he would stop cooperating with criminal investigators.