A California bishop is accused of taking a $200,000 cash donation intended to renovate a Catholic church before leaving the state for Michigan.
According to ABC10, Yousif Abdulmasih, also known as Marnaba Yousif Habash, allegedly accepted the money from Hani Toma, a member of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Syriac Catholic Church in El Cajon.
Toma claims Habash told him the church needed renovations but did not have enough money to finish the work and was depending on donations.
The lawsuit states that Toma agreed to give $200,000, provided that his contribution remain anonymous.
On June 8, Habash allegedly visited Toma at his workplace and collected the full donation in cash.
Later that month, Toma spoke with a priest at the church and heard a different explanation of its financial situation.
The priest allegedly said the church had always been able to fund the remodeling on its own and that it had never received the donation, according to the news outlet.
Toma claims Habash kept the money for personal use. He filed a civil lawsuit against the bishop in San Diego County Superior Court on Sept. 2.
Toma is seeking the return of the $200,000, along with additional damages. Habash has reportedly since moved from California to Michigan.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a Syriac Catholic church with deep connections to San Diego County’s Iraqi Christian community.
The Syriac Catholic tradition has roots in ancient Middle Eastern Christianity, and its patriarchal seat is now located in Beirut, Lebanon.
