Former California train workers are accused of building their own secret apartments with public funds INSIDE two train stations costing up to $50K
- Joseph Navarro, 66, and Seth Worden, 61, allegedly defrauded taxpayers
- The former Caltrain employee and contractor is said to have built apartments in two train stations
- Authorities say Navarro’s $42,000 apartment was in the Burlingame station, and Worden’s $8,000 hideout was in the Millbrae station.
A former employee of Caltrain, a public transportation system that connects Silicon Valley to San Francisco, and a former contractor allegedly plundered public funds to build themselves two small apartments in two train stations.
San Mateo County prosecutors have charged Joseph Vincent Navarro, a former deputy director of Caltrain, and Seth Andrew Worden, a former employee of TransAmerica Services Inc., with misusing public funds.
Worden, 61, was charged Wednesday and released on his own recognizance, court records showed.
Navarro, 66, was expected to be arraigned Friday, when Worden will appear in court again, according to The Mercury News.
Prosecutors said that between 2019 and 2020, Navarro allegedly conspired with Worden and approved $42,000 in construction costs to transform an office into a clandestine apartment at Caltrain’s Burlingame train station, which is designated as a California Historic Landmark.
Pictured: Caltrain’s Burlingame train station, where Navarro reportedly built an apartment out of an office with about $42,000
Pictured: Millbrae station, where Worden reportedly spent $8,000 for his own private trail
The indictment alleged that Worden used $8,000 in taxpayer money to build himself a similar building in the Millbrae train station.
It’s unclear what Worden’s alleged living space looked like, but Navarro is accused of spending a lot of money on a kitchen, shower, bathroom fixtures and security cameras in his apartment.
Navarro and Worden allegedly ensured that no invoice exceeded $3,000, preventing further approval from Caltrain and TransAmerica Services Inc., the company that employed Worden, prosecutors said.
By keeping their expenses below the $3,000 threshold, Navarro and Worden were able to avoid the audit.
Caltrain employees reportedly first discovered the renovated space at the Millbrae station in 2020.
However, Navarro’s alleged location in Burlingame evaded detection until Caltrain received an anonymous tip in 2022.
Navarro was fired after being confronted with the tip and reportedly admitted to “occassionally using the station as a residence,” prosecutors said. Caltrain then alerted the district attorney’s office about the possibility of criminal charges.
Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard denounced her former employee and contractor in a statement.
“The misuse of public funds for private use violates the law, Caltrain policies and the public trust,” Bouchard said.
She continued, “Caltrain investigates any claim of such misconduct, and in cases where there is evidence of unlawful conduct by an employee or contractor, we act promptly to correct the situation and hold those responsible accountable.”