Catholic Bishop of Oakland accused of transferring $106 million before filing for bankruptcy; SNAP implores court to act

For immediate release: December 23, 2024

Bishop Michael Barber of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland has been accused of shifting $106 million into the “Oakland Parochial Fund” (OPF) shortly before he filed for bankruptcy. His petition for reorganization in the wake of more than 300 lawsuits for child sexual abuse was filed on May 8, 2023.

According to NBC Bay Area, corporate records show that OPF was created in 2014 and is under the direct control of Bishop Barber. However, the fund went dormant in 2017 - until a few months before the alleged $106 million transfer. In their complaint, attorneys representing the survivors say the fund had no cash or investments of any kind before the transfer was received. 

In other words, this "fund" was nothing more than a corporate shell until shortly before the bankruptcy was filed. Now, that shell has $106 million in liquid assets that Bishop Barber claims is off limits to victims who have sued the Diocese, survivors complaining that priests and other employees of the Diocese sexually abused them when they were children. There are over 100 accused, and 330 victims.

Anyone can stop and watch a game of three-card monte on a corner near Washington Square Park in New York City. Now we apparently see a high stakes version of that game played by the Bishop of Oakland, with survivors as the marks.

We implore the bankruptcy court to put an end to this charade. All assets owned by the Diocese; the cash, the vacant real estate, the public parking lot - all of the money in each of its 279 bank and investment accounts – should be available to compensate the hundreds of victims who suffered life-long damages in Diocesan churches, schools, and other facilities.

Contact: Dan McNevin, SNAP Treasurer ([email protected], 415-341-6417), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director ([email protected], 925-708-6175, Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director ([email protected], 814-341-8386)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

SNAP Network is a GuideStar Gold Participant