An embezzlement and theft train that had gotten away from the station in San Mateo, California, eventually made its way back into the station.
Both Seth Andrew Worden and Joseph Vincent Navarro, who had previously worked for Caltrain, were found guilty of embezzling public funds and received sentences of sixty days and one hundred and twenty days in county jail, respectively.
The apartment that Navarro, who had previously served as the deputy director of Caltrain, constructed for himself at Burlingame Station was converted into a covert apartment by using public funds totaling $42,000.
As a means of avoiding detection, he instructed Worden to hire contractors to remodel office space and to keep the invoices below the amount of three thousand dollars. Any charges that exceeded that amount would require higher approval.
These same methods were utilized by Worden, a Caltrain station manager, in order to steal eight thousand dollars while remodeling a portion of the Millbrae station in 2019.
It was only a year later, in the year 2020, that he was apprehended and fired after station employees discovered the living space.
Up until the year 2022, Navarro kept his covert apartment, which featured updated amenities such as a brand new kitchen, shower, heating, plumbing, and surveillance cameras. Caltrain was the recipient of a tip from an unknown source that revealed his living situation.
Together, they stole more than forty thousand dollars worth of public funds.
“When it’s public money that is being stolen by a public employee, that’s egregious. That takes it up a level,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe stated.
Worden was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $8,000 and to receive treatment and counseling for substance abuse.
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On the other hand, Navarro was given an order to surrender to authorities on August 2 in order to serve his jail sentence. It has been decided that a hearing regarding restitution will take place on August 15th.
The situation is also illustrative of the severe financial pressures that Bay Area residents are under.
Due to the fact that the median home price is hovering near $1.25 million, as reported by Re/MAX, and rents are among the highest in the nation, individuals who are experiencing housing insecurity may be compelled to seek out unconventional solutions, which may even be illegal in some cases.
While it is true that the Caltrain scheme was a deliberate attempt at fraud, as framed by the prosecution, it also serves to highlight how a lack of affordable housing and oversight can create opportunities for opportunistic behavior in public systems.
