Oakland's DA Pamela Price has announced a felony fraud conviction against Mark Danaj, Fremont's ex-City Manager, who pleaded guilty to misusing a city-issued credit card. Danaj has been slapped with a 90-day Santa Rita Jail stint, a two-year probation period, and he's got to pay back a hefty $316,978 to the City of Fremont, as per official statements.
Caught in the act, Danaj apparently swiped his city card for personal goodies, right up until he got booted from his job in 2021. While haggling over his exit cheque, the sly manager kept mum about the nearly $7K debt he racked up. It's no wonder the City coughed up a $316,617 severance package – they were none the wiser, according to DA Pamela Price. "This resolution brings accountability and closure to the citizens of the City of Fremont, which has long been overdue," said Price. "When a public official abuses the public’s trust, and position of authority and uses it to steal taxpayer resources for his own personal gain, it erodes the framework upon which our government is based."
But wait, there's more – the story gets a shake-up when Price's team finds that the case was a bit lean on the charges. More digging by the Public Accountability Unit unearthed that the severance saga was more fraud than farewell. Plus, there was a cherry on top: the ousted DA's brother was defending Danaj, reeking of conflict of interest. "If my administration had not taken over this case, Mr. Danaj would not have been convicted of defrauding the City of Fremont, and the public’s valid questions about Mr. Danaj’s severance would never be answered," Price claimed.
Breaking down the bill, Danaj has agreed to return over $316K, which includes about $360 in personal credit card expenses and the rest in severance dough. The breakdown came after he initially tried to play it cool post-firing, only spilling the beans about the credit card debt after pocketing the severance. Danaj's light-fingered fiasco means he'll now swap his cushy office for a different kind of public housing – a cell in Santa Rita Jail.
