Latest news with #SethAndrewWorden
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-Caltrain employees sentenced to jail for building ‘secret apartments' in train stations, cheated taxpayers
In San Mateo, California, a runaway train of embezzlement and theft found its way back into the station. Former Caltrain employees Seth Andrew Worden and Joseph Vincent Navarro were sentenced to 60 days and 120 days in county jail, respectively, for embezzlement of public funds. Navarro, previously Caltrain deputy director, used $42,000 of public funds to build an apartment for himself at Burlingame Station into a secret apartment. He directed Worden to hire contractors to remodel office space and keep the invoices under $3,000 to avoid detection, as going over that amount would require higher approval. Worden, a Caltrain station manager, used the same methods to embezzle $8,000 — remodeling a part of Millbrae station in 2019. He was caught just a year later in 2020 and fired when station employees found the living space. Navarro maintained his secret apartment — with its brand new kitchen, shower, heating, plumbing and security cameras — up until 2022. Caltrain received an anonymous tip exposing his living situation. Together, they embezzled over $40,000 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 told ABC7 News. Worden was also sentenced to pay $8,000 in restitution and to receive substance abuse treatment and counseling — while Navarro has been ordered to surrender to surrender to authorities for his jail sentence on Aug. 2. A restitution hearing in his case has been scheduled for Aug.15 according to CBS News. The case also reflects the extreme cost pressures facing Bay Area residents. With median home prices hovering near $1.25 million according to Re/MAX and rents among the highest in the nation, housing insecurity can push individuals toward unconventional — and sometimes unlawful — solutions. While the Caltrain scheme was deliberate fraud, as framed by the prosecution, it also highlights how a lack of affordable housing and oversight can create openings for opportunistic behavior in public systems. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- CBS News
Former Caltrain employee who admitted to building homes inside stations sentenced
A former Caltrain employee has been sentenced after being convicted for his role in a scheme where he built homes inside stations, including one for himself, prosecutors said. According to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe's office, 63-year-old Seth Andrew Worden received a sentence of two months in county jail and one year probation at a hearing on Monday. In January, Worden pleaded no contest to misdemeanor embezzlement, as part of a deal with prosecutors in exchange for testimony against 67-year-old Joseph Vincent Navarro, who was also charged in the case last year. Worden was also sentenced to pay $8,000 in restitution and to receive substance abuse treatment and counseling. Worden was a Caltrain station manager employed by TASI, which the agency has a contract with to provide rail services. Navarro was Caltrain's deputy director of operations. According to prosecutors, Navarro directed Worden to use public funds to convert a portion of the Burlingame station into Navarro's personal residence in 2019 to 2020 without authorization. Worden hired contractors to remodel a part of a station which had been used as office space. Among the changes made to the station included a kitchen, shower, heating, plumbing and security cameras. Prosecutors said invoices were kept below a $3,000 threshold to avoid detection. Navarro used the Burlingame station as his residence until he was fired in 2022, after the agency received an anonymous tip. According to the DA's office, $42,000 was spent on remodeling the station for Navarro. Prosecutors said Worden used $8,000 in public finds to remodel a portion of the Millbrae station into a personal residence for himself in 2019. The following year, Worden was fired after Caltrain employees discovered the living space. "The misuse of public funds for private use is a violation of the law, Caltrain policy and the public's trust," Caltrain executive director Michelle Bouchard told CBS News Bay Area after the pair were indicted in March 2024. "Caltrain investigates every claim of such misconduct, and in cases where there is evidence of unlawful conduct by an employee or a contractor, we immediately act to rectify the situation and hold the individuals who are responsible accountable." Navarro was convicted Apr. 30 of felony theft and embezzlement of public funds following an eight-day trial. Prosecutors said he is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.
