A prominent El Cajon religious leader was arrested Thursday at San Diego International Airport as he attempted to flee the country, following months of investigation into alleged embezzlement and financial crimes at his church.
San Diego County Sheriff's deputies arrested Bishop Emmanuel Shaleta, the top official at St. Peter the Apostle of San Diego Chaldean Church in El Cajon, on eight counts of embezzlement, eight counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated white collar crime enhancement, according to a sheriff's department news release. Shaleta was booked at San Diego Central Jail on $125,000 bail, with a hold under Penal Code section 1275.1 to prevent him from posting bail with potentially stolen funds.
The Sheriff's Fraud Unit launched its investigation last August after a church representative came forward with documents suggesting potential embezzlement of church funds. An earlier investigation by The Pillar, a Catholic media outlet, alleged at least $427,000 is missing from church accounts โ with some estimates reaching as high as a million dollars. The report described rental income from a church-owned social hall going directly to the bishop rather than the parish, with the bishop later reimbursing the account using funds intended to help those in need.
In a February 23 address to his congregation at St. Peter's โ broadcast on the church's YouTube page โ Shaleta denied the allegations. "I have never in my priestly life or episcopal life abused any penny of the church money," he told parishioners, attributing the financial irregularities to an undocumented donation from a community member intended for the poor. The Chaldean Patriarchate has acknowledged complaints from church members regarding "mishandling of certain diocesan funds," and the Vatican has reportedly launched its own investigation.
El Cajon is home to one of the largest Chaldean communities in the United States, and Thursday's arrest sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Sheriff's Fraud Unit at (858) 285-6111 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers anonymously at (888) 580-8477.