Probation Officer Sentenced to 11 Years for Stealing Public Funds

By the Santa Barbara County District Attorney

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch announced today that Retired Santa Barbara County Deputy Probation Officer, Manuel Edward Torres, age 67, was sentenced in Santa Barbara Superior Court, Department 6, by the Honorable Pauleen Maxwell, to 11 years in state prison.

Mr. Torres pled guilty on April 27, 2023 to a felony charge of theft of public funds in violation of Penal Code section 424, occurring between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2019.  Mr. Torres also admitted an enhancement that alleged the theft exceeded $500,000 and admitted to aggravating factors that the crime occurred while occupying a position of leadership, that he took advantage of a position of trust, and that the crime involved a taking of great monetary value.   Mr. Torres had previously pled guilty on August 4, 2022 to eight counts of Filing False Tax Returns in violation of Revenue and Taxation Code section 19706 for tax years 2012-2019, and was pending sentencing on those charges.

Mr. Torres who has been out on bail pending sentencing, was remanded into custody at the conclusion of the hearing. Additionally, Mr. Torres was ordered to pay $1,072,654 in restitution to the Santa Barbara County Probation Peace Officer Association (SBCPPOA), and $328,345 in restitution to the California Franchise Tax Board.

The Court at the sentencing also appointed attorney Marilyn D. Anticouni as Receiver to take possession of the home residence of Mr. Torres, and to sell the residence in order to help satisfy the restitution order.  The People had previously, on March 14, 2022, petitioned for, and received a protective order on the residence, preserving the asset for any potential restitution.

Charges were filed in this case in July of 2020, after a year-long investigation by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.  Mr. Torres was employed by the Santa Barbara County Probation Department as a Deputy Probation Officer from 1986 to July 2019, when he retired.  Shortly after his retirement, the Probation Department contacted the District Attorney’s Office after a review of financial records of SBCPPOA uncovered potential embezzlement by Mr. Torres, who had acted as President of the SBCPPOA for over 20 years. The District Attorney’s investigation determined that Mr. Torres was embezzling from a SBCPPOA bank account that was being funded by union dues taken out of each member’s paycheck by the County of Santa Barbara and then directly deposited by the County into the account.  The total amount Mr. Torres embezzled from the SBCPPOA from 2009 to 2019 was approximately $635,000.

Additionally, pursuant to California Government Code section 7522.72, with the conviction of the theft of public funds charge, the Santa Barbara County Employees’ Retirement System has started an administrative action to have Mr. Torres forfeit his retirement benefits from the County of Santa Barbara earned or accrued from January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2019.

District Attorney Savrnoch praised the efforts of the Bureau of Investigations of the DA’s Office and of Senior Deputy District Attorney Brian Cota in the investigation, charging, and prosecution of this case leading to a conviction.  District Attorney Savrnoch said “The theft of public funds violates the trust that the people give their public officials and can not be tolerated.  The hard-working people who make up the SBCPPOA deserved more from one of their own who was entrusted with their hard earned money.”

Related Articles

• April 27, 2023: Retired Probation Officer Pleads Guilty to Embezzling 
• July 30, 2020: Retired Probabtion Officer Charged with Embezzlement