# Bishop accused of pocketing a CEO's $200K church donation

> A lawsuit says a San Diego County bishop collected $200,000 in cash for a church remodel, kept it, then moved to Michigan.
- Title: Bishop accused of pocketing a CEO's $200K church donation
- Summary: A lawsuit says a San Diego County bishop collected $200,000 in cash for a church remodel, kept it, then moved to Michigan. Toma says a priest at the church…
- Keywords: lawsuit, catholic church, fraud allegations, san diego county, donations, news, entertainment, Bishop, accused, pocketing, CEO's, 200K
- Source: California Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/15/us-news/california-bishop-bilks-wealthy-ceo-out-of-200k-in-cash-before-fleeing-to-michigan-suit
- Published: 2026-09-15T19:16:28+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: lawsuit, catholic church, fraud allegations, san diego county, donations, news, entertainment
## A $200K donation vanishes
A civil suit accuses Yousif Abdulmasih, also known as Bishop Marnaba Yousif Habash, of keeping a $200,000 cash gift. The money was meant to renovate a church in El Cajon.
## The pitch for a remodel
Hani Toma, a CEO who belongs to the church, says the bishop told him it needed remodeling but was short on money. Toma agreed to give $200,000 as long as the gift stayed anonymous.
## Cash picked up in person
On June 8, Habash allegedly went to Toma's workplace and collected the whole $200,000 in cash himself.
## A priest tells another story
Later that month, Toma says a priest at the church told him the remodel had never depended on donations. The priest also said no money had come in.

> the church had always had enough money to pay for the remodeling itself and that no donation had ever come in
## Lawsuit filed, bishop gone
Toma sued in San Diego County Superior Court on Sept. 2, saying Habash kept the money for himself. He wants the $200,000 back plus damages. Habash has reportedly moved to Michigan.
## A church with deep roots
Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a Syriac Catholic church with close ties to San Diego County's Iraqi Christian community. The faith's patriarchal seat is in Beirut.
## Key takeaway

Toma says a priest at the church told him no donation ever arrived and the church never needed one. Those are claims in a civil suit and have not been proven.