Former sheriff’s deputy Jason T. Lei was sentenced Thursday to 240 days in county jail and three years of probation for embezzling from the deputies union.
Lei was accused in 2010 of embezzling nearly $13,000 from the sheriff’s office deputies union while serving as its treasurer. He fled to the Philippines before returning in June of this year to face the charges. He pleaded no contest on Aug. 29 and accepted a plea deal.
“He is aware that this is a serious case,” Lei’s attorney Carolyn Keeley said at Thursday’s sentencing.
Lei is eligible for half-time credit at the jail – which means he may serve only half of his sentence if he exhibits good behavior.
“Words don’t express the grief I’ve left my coworkers, the county and my family. I’ll try my best to resolve these matters the best I can,” Lei said in a statement before the court.
Deputy District Attorney Patrick Palacios questioned the sincerity of Lei’s remarks. He said that while in the Philippines, Lei had bragged to family how he was on a SWAT team in the United States.
“He was in a position of utmost trust and he broke that trust,” Palacios said. “He stole from them.”
Keeley said Lei’s probation report had portrayed Lei as living a “life of luxury” as a result of the embezzlement, which she denied.
“He works very hard, and he lived a comfortable existence,” Keeley said.
Judge Steven Sanders noted that Lei had fully paid back the $13,000 in restitution.
“What doesn’t speak well for Lei is that he committed this crime in the first place,” Sanders said.
In May 2010, Hollister police went to Lei’s home in San Juan Bautista and found evidence of the crime, after which they issued an arrest warrant. Lei did not respond to the warrant until June of this year, when he returned to the United States from the Philippines.
Judge Sanders had ordered Lei to surrender his U.S. passport at his arraignment in late August. That came after Lei had missed an Aug. 22 hearing while in the Philippines, which was allowed because prosecutors had failed to have his passport revoked in June.
Sanders on Thursday also reiterated to Lei that once his jail sentence and probation are up, he will most likely be deported because he is not a U.S. citizen.
