A California railroad executive stole public funds and built a lavish apartment inside a historic train station where he lived while working eighty hours each week.
Joseph Navarro was found guilty of using $42,000 to create his own private living space inside the Burlingame train station, 16 miles south of San Francisco, the San Mateo County District Attorney announced Thursday.
Navarro, the former deputy director at Caltrain, furnished the private pad with a bedroom, living room and gym.
The 67-year-old conspired with former station manager and TASI worker Seth Worden to approve building expenses to convert a part of the historic building into a dwelling, under the guise of an office remodel.
Worden, 62, was also accused of using an additional $8,000 to construct his own living space at the Millbrae station, 3 miles down the track.
The pair schemed the backroom projects between 2019 and 2021.
Caltrain officials were alerted to Worden’s digs in 2020, but were left in the dark about Navarro’s place until receiving an anonymous tip in 2022, the rail service said.
The two men were arraigned in March 2024, nearly three years after the project was completed.
“The misuse of public funds for private use is a violation of the law, Caltrain policy and the public’s trust,” Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said after the arraignments..
“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’s attorneys argued the statute of limitations had expired, but the jury ruled the charges were filed within the three-year timeframe.
Worden pleaded no contest to misdemeanor embezzlement by a public officer in January and agreed to testify against Navarro.
While living in the station, Navarro had his then-girlfriend stay with him while she recovered from surgery.
His assistant also had a key to the room, sparking debate on whether Navarro hid the secret apartment from anyone.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged Navarro and Worden schemed to cover up their tracks by not leaving a paper trail and keeping invoices below $3,000, the threshold needed for further approval, according to Mercury News.
“This is a case about abuse of power and abuse of authority. … Mr. Navarro abused his authority as rail operations director in multiple ways, multiple times, affecting multiple people,” Deputy District Attorney Joseph said in his closing arguments. “His abuse of power did not just affect him.”
“Turning a historic train station into your personal crash pad is 100% a conflict of interest,” Cannon said. “That’s just common sense.”
Burlingame Station was built in 1894 and was designated as a registered landmark in the state in 1971 for its Mission Revival-style building, according to the state.
The Bay Area station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Navarro, who has been living in Pennsylvania, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 11.
He faces up to 4 years in prison, but a judge could instead hand down probation to the former executive.
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