Former Catholic Priest Arrested in Los Osos, California, Faces Trial on Multiple Alleged Child Molestation Counts

A 1991-dated report said the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office had announced the arrest of Father Theodore Gabrielli, a member of the Society of Jesus, on charges of aggravated sexual assault of a minor. According to that report, authorities identified three alleged male victims, all from the same family, who reportedly encountered Father Gabrielli while living in Mexico. The alleged assaults were said to have occurred at his parents’ residence in Los Osos, California, over roughly eight years, from 1991 to 1999.

An NCRegister report said the sheriff’s office confirmed the arrest of Father Gabrielli, a Catholic priest in California, “last week” on charges related to alleged child sex abuse between 1991 and 1999. It also identified three alleged male victims who were members of the same family. According to the sheriff’s office, as cited in that report, the family was living in Mexico at the time of the alleged abuse and had befriended Father Gabrielli. The report did not give a specific arrest date.

Later reports, dated June 2025, describe the case differently. A Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests report identifies Theodore Edward Gabrielli, 62, as a former Catholic priest and says he was arrested in Los Osos in June 2025 following an investigation by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. KSBY likewise reported that Theodore Edward Gabrielli, 62, was arrested in Los Osos in June 2025. These accounts do not match the earlier reports on several points, including Gabrielli’s status at the time of the alleged conduct, the number of alleged victims, and the span of years covered by the allegations.

The 2025 reports describe the alleged victims as minors. The Survivors Network report says the alleged abuse involved four minors who were under 14 at the time and reportedly took place between 1991 and 2010. KSBY reported that Gabrielli is accused of molesting four children under 14 who were living in Mexico, and that the alleged abuse took place between 1991 and 2010 in six California counties, including San Luis Obispo County. Protecting children from harm is at the center of these allegations, a matter of defending the vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8-9). These accounts are allegations, and the reports reviewed do not describe a plea or a verdict.

According to the 2025 reports, a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence to proceed, and Gabrielli is set to face trial on multiple counts of child molestation.