The Vatican ordered an investigation into allegations that an Eastern Catholic bishop in San Diego, California, was involved in embezzlement and regularly crossed the border to visit a Tijuana brothel, according to a Feb. 19 report.
Chaldean Catholic Bishop Emanuel Shaleta submitted his resignation to the Vatican, according to The Pillar Catholic, which reviewed documents relating to the allegations. (RELATED: Christian Family Of Three Allegedly Butchered For ‘Cursing’ Relative By Converting)
Parish finance council members at St. Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral in El Cajon, California, allegedly found a strange banking pattern suggesting the possibility of embezzlement, the outlet reported, citing documents.
The parish allegedly found that a social hall leased out by the parish for around $33,990 a month was sent from an in-parish bank account fund separate from financial assistance to the poor in November 2024, the outlet reported. Usually, the money came from an external management firm.
San Diego’s Chaldean Catholic bishop, Emanuel Hana Shaleta, is accused by parish finance council members of stealing hundreds of thousands from parish and charity funds, money meant for the poor to pay rent, including at least $427,345 in checks he reportedly signed to himself.… pic.twitter.com/GOKfgPvHaj
— Amy Reichert (@amyforsandiego) February 23, 2026
When confronted, Shaleta allegedly said he had asked the management firm to pay him in cash so he could personally distribute the money to the poor, and that the payment was reimbursement for the rent.
Shaleta allegedly did not have the paperwork to substantiate his claims, nor could he explain why he didn’t take the money directly from the account specifically designated for charities, documents reviewed by The Pillar showed.
Finance council members reportedly determined Shaleta that eight months of rent checks had been addressed to the parish from its financial assistance account, and they were allegedly signed by Shaleta.
Records suggested an embezzlement of funds between $427,345 and $1 million, The Pillar reported.
Shaleta seemingly used the “reimbursement” method to allegedly take $30,000 in cash from parishioners for perpetual Mass enrollments for parishioners’ deceased family members, The Pillar reported.
The possibility of fraud was reported in 2025 to the U.S. apostolic nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre and to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, sources close to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Eastern Churches told the outlet.
The sheriff’s department deployed forensic accountants to investigate Shaleta’s alleged financial activities before determining whether to file charges, according to The Pillar.
The Vatican also ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Allegations reported to the Vatican claimed Shaleta routinely crossed the border into Tijuana, Mexico, to visit a large strip club known to practice prostitution, according to the outlet.
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— Hong Kong (@HongKongGC) January 28, 2026
A private investigator alleged Shaleta made these late-night trips more than a dozen times in one month and continued to attend the strip club a “couple times a week” after he was confronted about it, The Pillar reported.
A private detective allegedly saw Shaleta taking a shuttle from a remote parking lot to the Hong Kong Gentleman’s Club, which human rights journalists have claimed is “a brothel where trafficked women and girls are forced to work in the sex trade,” according to a report reviewed by The Pillar.
The investigator told The Pillar that Shaleta’s “life is full of questionable and suspicious behavior,” which “seems inappropriate for a person of his stature.”
The detective claimed the bishop was seen visiting a female former colleague’s children, the outlet stated.
Upon release of The Pillar’s article, Shaleta’s resignation had not been accepted by the Vatican. (RELATED: Truck Video Shows Moving Company Block In Alleged Child Abductor After Spotting 2-Year-Old)
A spokesperson for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that its Fraud Unit is investigating the allegations and asked that anyone with information about the case contact the Sheriff’s Fraud Unit or submit a tip anonymously through San Diego County Crime Stoppers.
St. Peter’s Chaldean Cathedral has not responded to the Daily Caller’s request for comment as of publication.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to include a response from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.