A San Diego bishop who led one of California’s most prominent Chaldean Catholic parishes is now at the center of a sprawling felony case involving allegations of embezzlement, money laundering, secret visits to a Tijuana brothel, and a months-long pattern of financial misconduct that investigators say left hundreds of thousands of dollars unaccounted for.
Bishop Emanuel Shaleta of Saint Peter’s Chaldean Catholic Church in San Diego was taken into custody on March 5, 2026, at San Diego International Airport as he was allegedly attempting to board a flight to Germany, according to a statement from the San Diego Sheriff’s Office. He was carrying more than $9,000 in cash at the time of his arrest.