Overview
- Deputies detained Bishop Emanuel Shaleta at San Diego International Airport as he attempted to leave the country, charging him with eight counts each of embezzlement and money laundering plus an aggravated white-collar enhancement.
- He is being held at San Diego Central Jail on $125,000 bail under Penal Code 1275.1, which requires court review of bail funds, with arraignment set for March 9 in Superior Court in El Cajon.
- The Sheriff’s Office says a representative of St. Peter Chaldean Church contacted investigators on Aug. 19, 2025, providing documents that indicated potential embezzlement.
- The Pillar has reported records suggesting parish rental income was diverted and later covered with charity funds, with at least $427,000 unaccounted for and potentially as much as $1 million.
- Shaleta has publicly denied wrongdoing as a Vatican-ordered church review and internal complaints continue alongside the criminal case.