Disgraced former County IT Department supervisor, Norman Hibble, has been sentenced to 6-years in State Prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of embezzling public funds.
A former San Luis Obispo County employee has been sentenced to State Prison after being convicted of embezzlement, the District Attorney announced Aug. 22.
Judge Crystal Tindell Seiler sentenced Norman Hibble to 6-years in State Prison after his conviction for embezzling public funds via fraudulent use of a County-issued credit card.
Judge Seller also ordered Hibble to pay restitution to the County but how much is to be decided after another court hearing, the D.A. said in a news release.
“Hibble was a supervisor in the Information Technology Department,” the release said, “and pled guilty in July to seven felony counts of ‘Misappropriation of Public Funds’ with an ‘Aggravated White Collar Crime Enhancement’ for taking more than $100,000.”
Hibble had worked for SLO County since 2008 and was fired last January after the thefts were discovered during an audit by the Auditor-Controller’s Office aided by his own IT staff.
He was arrested in February after a months-long investigation and concurrent criminal investigation, the news release said.
Auditor-Controller Jim Hamilton, said, “From the initial discovery of unusual transactions, and throughout an extensive investigation of evidence with cooperation from the District Attorney’s Office, it was uncovered that Mr. Hibble had been directing County resources over many years for his personal benefit, circumventing controls with escalating levels of deception, manipulation and falsification of records.”
Hibble had used the County credit card to buy equipment for his personal use including DJ and lighting equipment, cameras, an electric scooter, “and other recreational and storage equipment. Because the crimes involve the theft of public funds, Hibble will not be eligible to serve his time in County Jail and will lose his accrued pension benefits during the time frame the crimes were committed.”
The County’s top attorney called it a betrayal. “Mr. Hibble’s theft,” said County Counsel Rita Neal, “was not only a deceptive misuse of public funds, but a terrible betrayal of the people he was paid to serve. His disregard of the impacts of his actions, not only on taxpayers, but fellow County employees who work hard to uphold the public’s trust was difficult to comprehend. We think prison is exactly where Mr. Hibble belongs.”
Neal read a statement in court regarding the case. “I’m here to read a statement that has been prepared by the leadership of the Information Technology Department where Mr. Hibble worked, the Auditor Controller’s office and the Administrative Office.
“Before I give my statement, I want to sincerely thank the District Attorney’s Office, especially Mr. Blumenthal and Mr. Pflum for their dedicated and hard work on this case. I also want to personally thank those County employees who bravely came forward with their concerns and those who worked hard to uncover the totality of Mr. Hibble’s theft. These County employees deserve our praise and recognition.
“While any theft of public funds by an employee of the County would be troubling to discover, yours is particularly disturbing,” Neal said, directing her comments at Hibble. “You betrayed the trust invested in you over time to handle the responsibilities given to you with every promotion and pay raise. Not only were you stealing from every person who pays taxes, you bloodied the spirit of public service of those around you.
“Your selfish actions,” Neal continued, “created a collective questioning of the integrity of those who serve honorably every day.
“Not only does it put a black mark on the public’s trust of our organization as a whole, but there are also hard-working honest people paying a price for your actions: Those who have been kicking themselves wondering how they could have missed what you were doing under their watch. Those who caught it and questioned their own audits because they, initially, found it hard to believe you would do such a thing. And those who considered you a friend are now questioning their own judgment.”
Some good may come of this, too. Neal said, “Your actions have led to a new level of checks and balances within the County accounting procedures. That will ultimately be a good thing. But in the meantime, it means daily reminders of your betrayal.”
She gave him credit for at least confessing to the crimes. “We are glad you, at the very least, owned up to your thefts to allow for your sentence today,” Neal said. “We will work to recover as much as possible in restitution and prevent you from collecting the bulk of your pension.”
She scolded him for these actions. “It’s tragic the vow of public service, paycheck, the pension, and the people you worked with weren’t enough to inspire you to do your job with integrity and avoid the sad outcome you and so many others are experiencing today instead.”
She concluded by telling the judge that Hibble didn’t deserve “sympathy, empathy or leniency in his sentencing today.”
The County has learned a lesson from the case. “As part of the County’s internal investigation,” the news release said, “new safeguards are being designed to prevent similar breaches of County funds. The County will also do all it can to seek restitution of funds through whatever means are legally available, in addition to severing Mr. Hibble’s pension.”
