A former Caltrain employee and a former TransAmerica Services Inc. employee are both being charged with two counts of felony embezzlement for allegedly remodeling sections of the Burlingame and Millbrae train stations as private residences, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Former Caltrain Deputy Director of Operations Joe Navarro and former TransAmerica Services Inc. Station Manager Seth Worden allegedly hired contractors to remodel an office space at the Burlingame Historic Train station to add a kitchen, shower, heating and plumbing for Navarro to use as a primary residence beginning in 2019, Wagstaffe said.
The Burlingame station remodels cost around $42,000 in embezzled public funds, Wagstaffe said, with Worden keeping invoices below $3,000 so that TASI and Caltrain management wouldn’t detect the scheme.
Worden allegedly used the same tactic to remodel a portion of the Millbrae train station into a private residence, which cost around $8,000, Wagstaffe said.
Caltrain contacted the District Attorney’s Office after a whistleblower alerted them to possible financial embezzlement in 2022, Wagstaffe said. Worden’s misuse of funds was discovered in 2020 by a Caltrain employee, according to the DA’s Office.
“After receiving an anonymous tip and conducting an internal review, we discovered potential evidence of Mr. Navarro’s misuse of public resources and we referred the matter to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office for further investigation and potential charges,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said in a statement.
Caltrain investigates every claim of misconduct and immediately acts to rectify the situation if there is evidence of misconduct present, the statement said.
Warden pleaded not guilty to the charges March 27 and both men will appear in court April 29.
The Burlingame station remodels were located within an inner office in the middle of the station, Wagstaffe said.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison per person if convicted.
“When there’s a violation of public trust, and that’s what this theft is, there’s no room for leniency. Particularly in this case, this was done for convenience,” Wagstaffe said. “I see nothing mitigating in what they did here, it’s just theft.”
(1) comment
Wait. No one noticed these guys living in the train stations?
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