A former county parks employee pleaded guilty last month to swiping nearly $77,500 meant to support county parks.
In the span of a year, the former county Parks and Recreation office assistant altered the recipient of two different checks so that he himself could ultimately pocket the money.
Samuel Ruben Ceja initially faced three felony counts of forgery, theft and fraud before entering into a plea agreement allowing him to avoid jail time. He pleaded guilty to identity theft.
Ceja’s deal, finalized during a Feb. 25 sentencing, included $5,000 of restitution and a probation sentence of two years. Superior Court Judge John G. Pro said Ceja’s identity theft count could be reduced to a misdemeanor after completing probation.
Ceja’s attorney declined to comment.
The sentencing came at a time where the county is dealing with a separate criminal case involving the ex-chief operating officer for a county contractor who allegedly misappropriated at least $210,000 in public funds for cosmetic surgeries and personal expenses.
Ceja worked for the county for more than eight years before the county terminated him last April.
As an office assistant, county spokesperson Tammy Glenn said Ceja processed mail for the county and changed the names on at least two checks. He then deposited the checks into personal accounts.
Glenn said both checks were meant for the county. One was a reimbursement to the county parks department for a grant-funded project and the other was a donation for the San Diego County Parks Society, a nonprofit partner of the county’s Parks and Recreation department.
The sheriff’s department said Ceja gave one of the two checks to an accomplice whom spokespeople declined to identify. The department declined to detail what role the accomplice played in the case.
Aside from the accomplice, a co-defendant was also charged in the case. The co-defendant, Micheal Anthony Ketchum, pleaded guilty to identity theft. Officials were unable to say exactly what role the co-defendant played in the check forgeries.
A sheriff’s office spokesperson said a county Parks and Recreation employee flagged an initial check issue last February. They noticed a check was logged but never actually deposited. The employee then reported the incident.
Glenn said the county parks department coordinated with the sheriff’s department on an investigation that was then referred to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
The investigation found evidence of two missing checks from September 2024 through January 2025.
Parks Society President Ben Ritter confirmed that his organization never received the original check made out to the nonprofit as a donation.
Ritter declined to say who issued the donation check that Ceja swiped.
“The check was subsequently reissued, and based on our records, we are not aware of any missing funds,” Ritter said.
Ritter said donations can support anything from student education and camping programs to community summer movie and hiking events.
Since the theft, Glenn said the county has strengthened its mail and check handling policy by using more security equipment and offering more training.
“The county reviewed processes related to the incident to increase security, and we consistently examine ways to make improvements to prevent fraud,” Glenn said.
Lisa Halverstadt contributed reporting to this story.