According to U.S. authorities, Shaleta was detained at San Diego International Airport while attempting to leave the United States. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said the bishop faces eight counts of embezzlement, eight counts of money laundering, and an additional aggravated white collar crime enhancement. He is currently being held on $125,000 bail at a San Diego jail, reports The Pillar, a Catholic news site.
The arrest follows months of mounting allegations concerning the handling of church funds and personal conduct. Investigators say the case began after church representatives reported suspected financial irregularities to law enforcement in August 2025.
The development builds on an earlier investigation reported by The Assyria Post in February, which detailed a Vatican ordered inquiry into accusations that Shaleta had diverted significant church funds and engaged in inappropriate behavior.
Financial records cited by investigators and church officials suggested that hundreds of thousands of dollars in parish funds, including rental income from church properties, may have been misdirected. Documented discrepancies exceeded $427,000, with some estimates suggesting losses could approach $1 million.
The Assyria Post
According to the earlier investigation, some missing funds were allegedly replaced through checks drawn from a cathedral charity account intended for aid to the poor.
The Vatican had already opened a canonical inquiry into the allegations through the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, and Shaleta submitted his resignation earlier this year, though it has not yet been formally accepted.
In addition to financial concerns, investigators and media reports have cited allegations of personal misconduct. These include claims that the bishop made repeated late night trips across the U.S. Mexico border to an establishment in Tijuana described in reports as a brothel.
Shaleta has denied wrongdoing. In remarks delivered to parishioners earlier this year, he insisted he had not misused church funds and claimed that money entrusted to him had been distributed to the poor as intended.
Born in northern Iraq, Shaleta has led the San Diego based Chaldean Catholic eparchy since 2017 and previously served in Canada.
Observers note that the arrest may represent a rare precedent. According to reporting by Catholic media, Shaleta could be the first sitting diocesan bishop in the United States arrested on felony financial charges.
The case has generated considerable debate among members of the Assyrian diaspora, where church leadership often plays a central role in community life. As the criminal case proceeds in the United States and the Vatican continues its internal investigation, the outcome could have significant repercussions for the leadership of the Chaldean Catholic Church in North America.
Authorities have not announced a trial date, and the investigation remains ongoing.
