Water Board Member Pleads Guilty to Felony Grand Theft of Water
By Redaccion
[email protected]
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Daniel Naumann (DOB 12/24/57), of Camarillo, pled guilty to one felony count of grand theft of water. Naumann owns and operates Naumann Family Farms, in Oxnard, and is a publicly-elected board member of the United Water Conservation District (United). He was also an alternate board member of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (Fox Canyon).
Naumann is expected to be sentenced to 30 days in the Ventura County Jail, ordered to pay full restitution, and placed on probation for two years. He will also resign from United.
“Stealing water is a serious crime,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “This felony conviction holds the defendant accountable for his conduct and sends a clear message that evading fees and illegally diverting water will result in criminal consequences.”
United and Fox Canyon manage and preserve groundwater resources for agricultural uses in Ventura County. Both entities establish water allocations and charge agricultural user fees to pump groundwater.
Investigators from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office discovered diversion bypasses were installed on two commercial water pumps that irrigated Naumann’s crops. The bypasses diverted pumped water to irrigation lines before the water reached flow meters that measured water use for billing purposes. Between 2019 and 2021, Naumann pumped $29,301 of groundwater without paying the required fees to Fox Canyon.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Anthony Wold, a member of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Public Integrity Unit, prosecuted the case.
Naumann is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 11 of the Ventura County Superior Court. He was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing.
Case: 2023020834
Defendant Information:
Daniel Conklin Naumann (DOB 12/24/57)
Camarillo
Pled Guilty to:
- PC 487(a) – Grand theft
