A Ventura County farmer, who was also a former water board member, has admitted to siphoning water worth over $29,000 from a local groundwater management agency. Daniel Conklin Naumann, owner of Naumann Family Farms in Oxnard, copped to one count of felony grand theft of water, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In what's been described as a clear abuse of his position, Naumann served as a longtime elected board member of the United Water Conservation District and an alternate board member of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, the same agency he's been pilfering from. According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Naumann rigged bypasses on two commercial water pumps to avoid paying necessary charges to Fox Canyon, while using the groundwater to irrigate his crops.
Investigators found that between 2019 and 2021, Naumann avoided fees, and ultimately stole water valued at a substantial $29,301. The district attorney Erik Nasarenko heralded the guilty plea as a measure of accountability. "Stealing water is a serious crime," Nasarenko stated, "This felony conviction holds the defendant accountable for his conduct and sends a clear message that evading fees and illegally diverting water will result in criminal consequences."
For his water theft, Naumann is slated to receive 30 days in county jail, full restitution for the stolen water, and will endure two years on probation. He has also stepped down from his post at United, as revealed in court documents. Sentencing is due on May 24, 2024, when the consequences of Naumann's actions will become abundantly solidified. Meanwhile, the farmer was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing, per the district attorney's office statement to the press.
