Brickbat: Work–Life Balance
Two former employees of Caltrain, a California public commuter rail line, were sentenced to jail for embezzling public funds to build secret apartments inside two train stations. Joseph Navarro, a former deputy director, was convicted of felony embezzlement and sentenced to 120 days in jail with two years of probation for using $42,000 to create a personal apartment inside the Burlingame station, complete with amenities like a kitchen and a gym. Seth Worden, a station manager, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor embezzlement, receiving 60 days in jail and one year of probation for using $8,000 to remodel empty office space into an apartment at the Millbrae station. Their scheme ran from 2019 to 2022 and was uncovered after an anonymous tip to the Caltrain executive director.
