Santa Barbara county prosecutors say a retired probation officer pled guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars of union funds.
Manuel Edward Torres was President of the Santa Barbara County Probation Peace Officer Association for more than 20 years. Union dues were taken out of each member’s paycheck by the county, and deposited into the union’s account.
But, prosecutors say during a ten year period, Torres embezzled more than $630,000 from the Association. After he retired, Association members discovered financial irregularities, prompting an investigation.
He just pled guilty to the theft of public funds. He pled guilty last year to eight counts of tax fraud. It’s expected the 67-year-old man will be sentenced to 11 years in prison, and be required to pay back the money he took, as well as the tax penalties.
