Former Executive Director of Gala Pride and Diversity Center Dustin Colyerworth Takes Plea Deal In Embezzlement Case

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Dustin Colyerworth, a former Gala Pride and Diversity Center Executive Director, has been sentenced after accepting a plea deal regarding his charges of felony embezzlement from the local non-profit organization.

On May 21, 2026, Colyerworth pled guilty to two felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement and, as a condition of his plea agreement, agreed to pay $59,302.07 in restitution and was sentenced to two years of felony probation on the condition that he serve 90 days in county jail detailed the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office in a press release Thursday.

Colyerworth was originally facing four felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement.

The Gala Board of Directors agreed that the restitution amount, which includes interest on the stolen money, would make the organization financially whole and Colyerworth has already paid the restitution in full added the local prosecutor's office.

Colyerworth began serving as the Executive Director of the Gala Pride and Diversity Center of San Luis Obispo in July of 2022, and, beginning in November of 2022 and continuing for several months after, embezzled tens of thousands of dollars explained the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

In September of 2024, Colyerworth left Gala Pride and, shortly after, the non-profit group discovered that he had embezzled funds and shared that evidence with the San Luis Obispo Police Department detailed the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

On June 25, 2026, after confirming that Colyerworth had paid he restiution, Judge Michael Frye sentenced Colyerworth in accordance with his plea deal and he was ordered to surrender to the County Jail to begin serving his 90-day sentence on September 30, 2026, stated the prosecutor's office.

If Colyerworth violates the conditions of his two-year felony probation, he faces a maximum sentence of three years, eight months in county jail added the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office.

"When someone abuses a position of trust for personal gain, it undermines confidence in institutions that serve our community," District Attorney Dan Dow shared. "We will continue to aggressively prosecute fraud and protect victims."