A member of the water board in Ventura County is heading to the slammer after being sentenced for felony grand theft of water, the District Attorney's Office announced yesterday. Daniel Naumann, a once-trusted official, will serve 30 days in jail, two years probation, and has been ordered to cough up restitution for his crimes.

Naumann, who was a member of the United Water Conservation District, used his privileged position to slyly divert water meant for the community to his own personal agricultural operations. According to the District Attorney's office, he pled guilty on March 29, 2024, to one felony count of grand theft of water, which doesn't just hurt the books but also strikes a blow to public trust.

Investigators caught Naumann red-handed with bypasses installed on two commercial water pumps at his farms. This crafty setup allowed him to circumvent meters that were supposed to record and bill his water usage. The cost of this theft tallied up to a whopping $29,301 from 2019 to 2021, which he has now paid back in full as restitution.

"While serving as an elected member of a water board responsible for preserving groundwater in Ventura County, the defendant stole groundwater for his own agricultural uses," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Anthony Wold in a statement. Faced with a tenacious investigation that left no stone unturned, Naumann had little choice but to own up and agree to face the consequences of his actions.

Now stripped of his board member title, Naumann is scheduled to start serving his sentence on June 17, 2024.