Former La Cañada Flintridge Assistant City Manager, Carl F. Alameda, is currently facing some serious legal trouble. He’s been hit with charges of embezzlement and insurance fraud by the Los Angeles County prosecutors, who claim he swiped a whopping $200,000 from insurance claims that were supposed to go to the city. Alameda, a 44-year-old fella, said “no way, Jose” to the 11 felony counts of embezzlement and 23 counts of insurance fraud during his not guilty plea on Wednesday. If found guilty on all charges, he could be looking at a cool 33 years behind bars. Yikes!
What’s the deal with Alameda, you ask? Well, prosecutors are alleging that between 2016 and 2022, he was playing a little game of cat and mouse with insurance companies. Using city letterhead, he apparently sent out demand letters asking for reimbursement for accidents and property damage caused by insured drivers in La Cañada Flintridge. But here’s the kicker – they say he was cooking the books, faking invoices, and having those checks sent straight to his own personal bank account. The grand total? A sweet $193,086. Talk about a sneaky move!
Now, I’m not really sure why this matters, but District Attorney Nathan Hochman had some strong words about the situation. He said, “It is a major disservice and betrayal of trust when public officials place their own selfish interests over the communities they serve.” You don’t say, Nathan! Hochman went on to mention how this kind of behavior just ain’t cool, undermining faith in the government and making people question who they can trust. The city of La Cañada Flintridge got wind of the whole shebang when the Sheriff’s Department sniffed out some shady checks landing at the Public Works office. Alameda got the boot in April 2023 after being put on leave, and the city manager, Dan Jordan, made sure to tighten up those financial controls to prevent any future funny business.
Fast forward a few months, and Alameda had landed a gig as an assistant city manager in Ojai. But hold your horses, folks! The party didn’t last long as Ojai officials put him on paid leave faster than you can say “insurance fraud.” They’re doing their own little investigation to make sure Alameda didn’t pull any fast ones during his time in Ojai. The city released a statement saying, “The City is also conducting its own internal financial audit to ensure there was no financial misconduct through his role as Ojai Assistant City Manager and prior service as Acting City Manager.” Looks like Alameda’s got some explaining to do in Ojai now.
