Former California state worker pleads guilty to stealing diamonds, coins on the job for years
A former California State Controller’s Office employee pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing diamonds worth $300,000 and coins while at work over a seven year period, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Court records show Miguel Espinosa had a preliminary hearing Tuesday. Prosecutors said he pleaded guilty to three counts of grand theft.
The California Highway Patrol began its investigation into Espinosa after learning $300,000 worth of diamonds went missing from the State Controller’s Office mail room, prosecutors said in a news release.
Video surveillance showed Espinosa took packages containing diamonds to another room with no cameras, prosecutors said. The same footage showed him bringing the package and taping it again before sending it out for delivery, the release said.
Officers served a search warrant at Espinosa’s Sacramento home and found jewelry and coins belonging to 10 victims, prosecutors said.
Espinosa worked as a mailing machines supervisor since at least 2015, according to state payroll records maintained by Transparent California. He made $57,041 in 2022 when combining regular pay, overtime and other pay, the payroll records say.
Prosecutors said the defendant worked at the state agency for more than a decade. A spokesperson with the California State Controller’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Espinosa is scheduled for sentencing April 4 and will be sentenced to three years, four months of prison time, the District Attorney’s Office said.
