A former Simi Valley Police Department officer was sentenced Tuesday to 300 days in Ventura County jail for stealing more than $100,000 in public funds by putting in for overtime hours he did not work.
Before he was sentenced, Robert Longdon, 45, told the court his actions were reprehensible and that he brought “shame and embarrassment” not only to himself but also to his profession, his fellow officers and the city of Simi Valley.
He told the court he’d face whatever consequences because “I have brought them on myself.”
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In July, Longdon pleaded no contest to one count of felony attempted grand theft and four counts of grand theft. The charges stem from the alleged theft during a period from March 2014 to September 2017, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
However, there was evidence Longdon began the scheme in 2009 and the total loss to the city was $102,138, said Deputy District Attorney Thomas Frye. The charges filed against Longdonrepresent afour-year period as defined by the offense’s statute of limitations.
The prosecutor also called the crime an egregious violation by a peace officer who is “imbued with a great deal of authority and power and as such a great deal of trust.”
Frye urged the judge to impose the full sentence of 365 days in jail in part because the theft was over an extended period of time and involved taxpayer dollars. Frye saidLongdon falsely claimed to have worked 61 10-hour overtime shifts. There was also an accusation that Longdon added hours on the days he did work.
Greg Litster, a longtime Simi Valley resident, asked Frye if he could make a victim impact statement, but the court denied the request.
Litster told The Star after the hearing that he thinks an apology is owed and should be given at the next Simi Valley City Council meeting.
“Longdon apologized to the court, and I think he should come appear in person to apologize to the community, the police department and the good men and women in the police department,” Litster said.
It was ultimately the department that uncovered the theft.
A discrepancy in Longdon’s time sheets was discovered by a watch commander in August 2017 as officials were going through paper time sheets, which are still being used, said Police Chief DavidLivingstone. The commander was “scrutinizing” thembecause Livingstone had made it a priority to reduce and monitor overtime once he was appointed police chief in March 2017.
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The watch commander noticed Longdon had put in for a specific day of work but the commander did not remember seeing himthat day, Livingstone said. When police found the shift was not a mistake but a pattern, they handed over the investigation to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. By September 2017,Longdon was on paid administrative leave.
Longdon was hired by Simi Valley Police Department on Feb. 20, 2008, as a lateral officer from the Los Angeles Police Department, Livingstone said. He wasnamedSimi Valley officer of the yearfor 2012.
He resigned from the department March 6, the day he was arrested and charged.
“I’m obviously disappointedsomething like this happened to the department, but I’m glad we were able to get justiceserved in this case because, like I said before, it violates public trust,” Livingstone said after learning of Longdon’s sentence.
The department is in the process of moving to digital time cards. In light of the incident, Livingstone has implemented a system under which overtime is approved by a supervisor.
No other such incidents involvingtime sheets has been found, he said.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Bruce Young said he had planned to order the stolen money be paid back to the city, but it appears Longdon has already done that. That factor and Longdon’s lack of prior criminal historywent into Young’s decision-making when trying to determine whether the former lawman should spend 365 days in custody, Young said.
While the judge said he does not subscribe to the idea that law enforcement should live to a higher standard, this kind of crime does cause a “ripple effect” of the community not trusting law enforcement.
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In imposing his sentence of 300 days in jailand 36 months of probation, Young echoed comments made by the prosecution about the large sum of money and the broad period it took to steal it.
“Financial needs are not a justification for breaking the law,” Young said.
Longdon appears to have paid the city of Simi Valley in two stages. At Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, the court was notified of a $2,138 payment. But the $100,000 was paid long before Longdon was first arrested.
In a letter to Simi Valley City Manager Eric Levitt dated Feb. 14,Longdon’s attorney Bill Hadden writes that his client has sent a cashier’s check of $100,000 to the city.
In it, Hadden writes that the check is for “alleged receipt of oversalary payments” and it is Longdon’s desire tosubmitthe money “without any admission of liability” to resolve any dispute with the city.
When Longdon pleaded nocontest in July, Hadden told The Star that the plea and the payment were his client’s way of accepting responsibility.
Longdon was ordered to start his jail sentence at 7 a.m. Nov. 13.
