Former Caltrain employees Seth Andrew Worden and Joseph Vincent Navarro were sentenced to jail time for embezzling public funds to build secret apartments inside two of Caltrain’s stations.
The embezzlement involved converting a portion of the Burlingame station into a personal residence for Navarro in 2019 and remodeling a section of the Millbrae station in 2019, as well.
Driving the news: Worden, a Caltrain station manager, hired contractors to remodel office spaces under Navarro’s direction.
- He kept invoices below the $3,000 threshold he could approve, totaling $42,000 for the Burlingame project and $8,000 for the Millbrae project. The upgrades included amenities such as a kitchen, shower, heating, plumbing, and security cameras.
- Navarro used the Burlingame residence as his primary residence until he was caught in 2022 and subsequently fired. Caltrain employees discovered the Millbrae home in 2020, prompting legal action.
The big picture: Worden was sentenced to 60 days in jail, with one year of probation, fines, and is required to pay restitution.
- Navarro was sentenced to four months in jail, probation and fines.
- Worden pleaded no contest in exchange for testifying against Navarro, who was found guilty by a jury.
Go deeper: Caltrain was directed to leave the converted spaces untouched during the legal proceedings. The agency has no immediate plans for the residences, which are not up to code and located in historic buildings requiring careful consideration for any changes.
- The specific restitution amounts for the embezzled funds are to be determined later.
- Navarro is also barred from employment involving fiduciary responsibilities.
