Bishop Arrested for Embezzlement, Money Laundering

0:00On March 7th, a 69-year-old Catholic bishop from San Diego faces serious charges after his arrest at the city's international airport. Emanuel Shaleta was stopped Thursday while trying to board a flight out of the country. Authorities accuse him of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his Caudian Catholic parish, along with money laundering tie to eight, counts each, and an aggravated white collar crime enhancement. Earlier reports highlighted Shaleta's frequent visits to a notorious gentleman's club in Tijuana, Mexico, described as a brothel. Private investigators claim he went there more than a dozen times in just one month. The Vatican launched its own probe into these financial issues and personal misconduct claims after church members raised alarms last August. Shaleta resigned from his position in January, but has strongly denied any financial wrongdoing. He insists he always managed church funds responsibly. His defense attorney noted that fleeing the country could look bad in court, though there might be innocent explanations.

1:01Investigators found he allegedly issued checks to himself from parish accounts, men for the poor, and shared a bank account with a former secretary. That account held over $40,000 with regular deposits from him. Shaleta now sits in San Diego, Central jail, on $125,000 bill, awaiting arraignment as both church and civil probes continue.