REDWOOD CITY — Prosecutors on Thursday released photos of the secret Burlingame Caltrain station apartment that was built by a former Caltrain deputy director with public funds.

Joseph Vincent Navarro was sentenced Wednesday to 120 days in county jail and two years probation for embezzling nearly $40,000 in public funds to turn his office into an apartment, where he then lived for several years. The apartment was complete with a gym, a shower and furniture, and Navarro temporarily moved his ex-girlfriend into the residence with him while she was recovering from surgery.

Navarro was convicted of one felony count of misuse of public funds in a jury trial in April, where his defense attorney painted him as a “dedicated railroad man” who worked 80 hour weeks. The prosecution argued that Navarro’s use of the funds was an abuse of power and authority.

San Mateo County prosecutors said a former Caltrain director, Joseph Navarro, and Seth Worden, an employee for a contractor with the transit agency, had embezzled public funds to build secret apartments inside train stations. They showed photos of an apartment at the Burlingame station, taken in 2019 and 2023, at the trial for Navarro, who was convicted of felony misappropriation of public funds in May; Worden pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor embezzlement charge in January. Both men were sentenced to jail this week. (Courtesy San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office) 

Some of the photos were taken of the apartment in 2019 by a Transit American Services Inc. employee, said deputy district attorney Joseph Cannon, who prosecuted the case. Others were taken in 2023 by an investigator with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office during a walkthrough.

Navarro’s co-defendant Seth Worden was sentenced to 60 days in jail and one year probation Monday as part of a plea deal he accepted in exchange for testifying against Navarro. Worden had used $8,000 to build an apartment in the Millbrae train station in 2019 and, under the direction of Navarro, hired contractors to add a shower, gym and air conditioning to the historic Burlingame station.

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Between 2019 and 2021, Navarro used $38,000 of public funds to renovate the apartment, purposely keeping the invoices under $3,000 to avoid further scrutiny from his bosses, prosecutors said. He directed Worden on what improvements to make and instructed him to keep the changes quiet.

The TASI contractor discovered the apartment in 2019 and sent some photos to Worden, who then did not report it to anyone else, Cannon said. Caltrain discovered the apartment on April 1, 2022 after recieving an anonymous tip, Cannon added. The case was referred to the DA’s office in May 2023.

The matter of how much restitution Navarro will pay to Caltrain is set to be decided at a court hearing Aug. 15.