California Catholic priest arrested on charges of child sex abuse dating to 1990s

CNA Staff, Jun 18, 2025 / 12:27 pm (CNA).

A priest in California has been arrested and charged with acts of child sex abuse that reportedly occurred through the 1990s.

Police arrested Father Theodore Gabrielli last week on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a minor, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on X on Tuesday.

Authorities identified three alleged male victims of the priest, the sheriff’s office said; all three were members of the same family.

At the time of the alleged abuse, “the family was living in Mexico” where they allegedly befriended Gabrielli.

“The priest became close with the family, and he was allowed to take the three boys with him to many places in California including his parents’ residence in Los Osos,” the sheriff’s office said. “It was there, the victims stated, the priest would sexually assault them.”

The alleged assaults “continued over the course of about eight years,” reportedly between 1991 and 1999. The victims “decided to come forward last year and report the abuse,” the statement added.

Gabrielli was arrested in Los Osos on June 12.

The 2023 Archdiocese of Los Angeles directory listed Gabrielli as residing at the Dolores Mission. As recently as June 1 he was listed as a member of the Loyola High School Los Angeles board of directors, though his listing had been removed as of June 18.

His name has also apparently been removed from the staff directory of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in San Diego.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Gabrielli’s arrest.