Ex-Caltrain pair accused of building themselves homes inside stations with public funds

By Michael Cabanatuan | San Francisco Chronicle (TNS)

SAN CARLOS, CALIF. — Two former Caltrain employees — an executive and a station manager — face felony corruption charges for allegedly using public money to build themselves personal residences inside two stations on the commuter rail line, prosecutors say.

Joe Navarro, 66, of Oceanside, Calif., and Seth Andrew Worden, 61, of Newton, Penn., are accused of conspiring to build the dwellings without authorization — and using public funds to do so.

According to a statement from the San Mateo County district attorney, Navarro, who was Caltrain's deputy director of operations, and Worden, who was a station manager for TransAmerica Services Inc., a company that operates Caltrain under contract, conspired to build Navarro a residence in a space that had been used as an office inside the historic Burlingame station.

Worden allegedly hired contractors at Navarro's behest to add a kitchen, shower, heating, plumbing and security cameras, the DA's office said. Bills for the work were kept below $3,000, an amount within Navarro's authority to approve, in an effort to avoid detection, the DA's statement said.

Navarro allegedly used the station as his main residence until he was discovered after an anonymous tip in 2022. After admitting he occasionally lived in the station, he was immediately terminated, according to the statement.

Worden also built himself a home inside the former Millbrae station in 2019, according to the DA, and used the same method to avoid being detected. But Caltrain employees discovered his scheme in 2020, the DA's office said, before Navarro's residence was detected. He was fired, the statement said, noting that Caltrain officials were still unaware of Navarro's residence.

About $50,000 of public money was spent on the in-station residences, according to the DA's office — $42,000 on the Burlingame station and $8,000 on the Millbrae station.

Both men are charged with felony counts of misusing public money and are scheduled for appearances in San Mateo County Superior Court on April 29. Worden pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday and will appear next for a preliminary hearing. Navarro has yet to enter a plea and is scheduled for arraignment.

"The misuse of public funds for private use is a violation of the law, Caltrain policy and the public's trust," Caltrain executive director Michelle Bouchard said in a statement. "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."

Reach Michael Cabanatuan: [email protected]; Twitter: @ctuan

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