Search warrant reveals investigation into Wabasha pastor

Sep. 20—WABASHA, Minn. — A Wabasha pastor is under investigation for allegedly taking money from parishioners, according to a search warrant filed on Sept. 16.

Law enforcement sought information on the BMO Harris account for Prince Amala Jesuraja Jebamlia Selvaraj, or Father Prince Raja. According to the Diocese of Winona-Rochester's website, Raja is a pastor at St. Felix and St. Agnes Catholic churches.

According to the search warrant, law enforcement sought information for Raja's BMO Harris account after parishioners came forward to report their interactions with Raja.

One woman told police she was concerned with issues of fraud. The woman told police she received a call from him one day asking if she would meet with him.

When she and her husband met with Raja, he told them he needed $5,500 for a loan he had used for his mother's surgery. The woman told him that she could raise that amount of money for him in two days, but Raja said he would lose his job for asking parishioners for money.

After her meeting with Raja, the search warrant said, she went to discuss the interaction with her friends. One of them said Raja "got her too," court documents said. Her other friend said she had given him money as well.

Another man told police his mother had given the pastor a check for $2,365. Raja told the woman that he needed it to pay Minnesota taxes and didn't have the funds in his account. The check was filed later that same day.

Attorney Thomas Braun contacted law enforcement on Sept. 9 to say he was just made aware of Raja's activities. The officer received a spreadsheet of the money that was given to Raja by parishioners. The spreadsheet detailed the amount of money he asked for, if it had been repaid and if it was a gift or a donation.

Raja allegedly took $71,950 from parishioners.

"This includes a check written to Father Prince from the Diocese to repay what he had taken," the search warrant said.

The spreadsheet showed that $5,530 was repaid to parishioners and $6,965 was gifted to him "for things that the money was not actually used for." The diocese also located $19,000 from a family when he was working as a priest in Wisconsin, which dated between 2019 and 2024.

The Diocese of Rochester-Winona has not responded to phone messages and emails left Friday.