A 28-year-old man who confessed to embezzling $5,000 from San Joaquin Delta College will report to probation Wednesday.
Robbin Gerald Sealey Jr. was sentenced in San Joaquin County Superior Court on Nov. 4, at which time Judge Franklin Stephenson reduced his charge from felony grand theft to a misdemeanor and ordered him to serve 60 days in county jail. Court officials recommended Sealey for the work release program. He was also ordered to pay the college restitution and given three years probation.
Authorities believe Sealey, the coordinator of the college flea market, collected fees from food vendors, destroyed records of those transactions and kept the money. He was arrested by Delta College campus police July 18 and originally charged with grand theft of more than $20,000 and destroying public records.
At his arraignment July 20, Sealey confessed that he committed embezzlement and refused to speak to an attorney.
“He said, ‘I did it. I want to take my punishment,’” prosecutor Stephen Taylor said. “It was amazing; only seen it twice (in my career). Other was a domestic violence case.”
Taylor said Sealey admitted to taking $5,000, while college officials claim he took $7,500 that reportedly included lost revenue from his actions.
The married father of two is said to have a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Sacramento, but his parents have a history of working at flea markets.
When asked if the punishment fit the crime, Taylor said it is what it is. He said there was a time when someone who had written a stolen $50 check was sentenced to San Quentin State Prison, but that times have changed. He said those convicted of white collar crimes, such as embezzlement, are now being sentenced to county jail, as opposed to prison due to the overcrowding directive, Assembly Bill 109.
“I continue to warn merchants and institutions to tighten up their accounting,” Taylor said. “(The) penalty for stealing money is not very high anymore.”
According to court records, Sealey has been ordered to report to San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp on Dec. 30 to serve his time in a work furlough program.
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