REDWOOD CITY – The former Caltrain deputy director who embezzled nearly $40,000 in public funds to build a “crash pad” in the historic Burlingame train station – complete with a gym and shower – was sentenced to 120 days in county jail.
At the hearing Wednesday morning that brought the six-year saga to a conclusion, Joseph Vincent Navarro’s defense attorney Andrew Vandeveld said that Navarro feels remorseful for his actions and maintained his positive contributions to CalTrain.
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“He didn’t build this house so he could sleep on the job,” Vandeveld said at the hearing. “He built this house so he culd do his job.”
Navarro was found guilty of one felony count of misuse of public funds following a jury trial in April.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Lisa A. Novak also sentenced Navarro to two years of probation and set conditions including maintaining full time employment and not holding a job in which he has any fiduciary responsibility.
“You had a good and solid career and the respect of a lot of coworkers, and you lost that,” Novak said to Navarro at the trial.
Between 2019 and 2021, Navarro embezzled $38,000 to conduct renovations on an office in the Burlingame Train Station. Keeping the invoices under a $3,000 threshold in order to avoid further scrutiny of company executives, Navarro installed a shower, a kitchen, heating and more in the historic station.
He lived at the train station in 2019 and 2020, prosecutors said. Navarro’s ex-girlfriend also stayed with him at the station while recovering from surgery.
At the trial, Vandeveld argued that Navarro had permission to construct the apartment, painting him as a “dedicated railroad man” and adding that it was well-known that Navarro frequently slept in his office.
The probation officer had reccomended a sentence of eight months to the court, which prosecutor Joseph Cannon, a San Mateo County deputy district attorney, said was an appropriate sentence. Vandeveld requested a lesser sentence and the opportunity for Navarro to serve his time through a sheriff’s work program.
“I don’t doubt that he is remorseful. It’s a qualifying remorse at best,” Cannon said at the hearing. “He did this to enrish himself.”
After the trial, Vandeveld said that the sentence was “very fair” and “appropriate for the level of conduct.”
“He had the intention of doing good things and just didn’t proceed in the proper manner,” Vandeveld said. “He’s looking forward to putting this saga behind him and moving on with his life as positvely as he can.”
Navarro worked alongside co-defendant Seth Worden, who in 2019 used $8,000 of public funds to renovate part of the Millbrae Train Station into a private residence. Navarro directed Worden on what renovations to make in the Burlingame station, requesting that he keep the work quiet.
Worden was sentenced Monday to 60 days in county jail after accepting a plea deal. In exchange, he testified against Navarro at trial. He will also serve one year supervised probation and was ordered to pay $8,144.01 in restitution.
Navarro will next appear in court Aug. 15 for a restitution hearing.