A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ruled this week that evidence against a former Catholic priest accused of molesting four children is sufficient to move the case forward to trial.
Theodore Edward Gabrielli, 62, was arrested in Los Osos in June 2025. According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, detectives began investigating Gabrielli after receiving a report of child abuse that first occurred more than 30 years ago. The alleged victims were under the age of 14 at the time and were living in Mexico, where their family befriended the priest.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the alleged abuse took place between 1991 and 2010 and occurred in six California counties, including San Luis Obispo.
Sheriff’s officials said the family allowed Gabrielli to take the boys with him on trips to California, including to his parents’ home in Los Osos, where the victims claimed Gabrielli would sexually assault them.
Following a four-day preliminary hearing, Gabrielli was held to answer on 24 felony counts. He is scheduled to be arraigned on July 14.
The District Attorney’s Office says it is considering filing additional charges that prosecutors believe were proved by the evidence during Gabrielli’s preliminary hearing.
Gabrielli has remained in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail since his arrest last year.
