Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested after Embezzlement Allegations
– By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CA — FEBRUARY 3RD 2026
A Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department custody sergeant is accused of stealing thousands of dollars
in public funds.
Investigators allege that 34-year-old Segun Ogunleye of Ventura fraudulently reported working
shifts he never performed, improperly collecting more than $175,000 in pay dating back to 2023.
According to Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Raquel Zick, the
case began in October 2025, when Sheriff’s Office personnel noticed “irregularities in
Ogunleye’s timecards spanning several months.”
A closer review uncovered “a pattern of questionable coding and overtime claims” that did not match actual work activity.
Detectives later determined that Ogunleye, who at the time served as a Custody Sergeant in a
supervisory role, was “responsible for reviewing and approving overtime usage for others while
manipulating his own records.”
Based on those findings, detectives obtained a felony warrant charging Ogunleye with
embezzlement of public funds, forgery and grand theft, along with a white-collar crime
enhancement.
On Jan. 29, detectives arrested Ogunleye at his Ventura residence without incident, whereupon
he was transported to Ventura County Jail, with his bail set at $150,000.
