Ex Fire Union Administrator Arrested

News Release from Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department:

Former Santa Barbara County Fire Department Employee Robert Perez was arrested August 30 following a four month investigation by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

Perez, who is retired from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, is charged with grand theft and filing false tax returns. Through arrangements with his attorney, Perez voluntarily turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Office at 10:00 Friday morning and was subsequently arrested and booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail.

The alleged misappropriation of funds and tax evasion occurred during the time Perez held the position of Insurance Administrator with the Santa Barbara County Firefighter’s Local 2046. The Firefighter’s Union notified the Sheriff’s Office regarding the alleged criminal activity in March of 2013 which prompted an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Division.

Perez is being held at the Santa Barbara County Jail on $110,000 bail. The case has been handed over to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.