A former president of the Merced County Sheriff’s Association has been sentenced to 190 days in jail for gambling tens of thousands of his union’s dollars at casinos.
Phillip Brooks was sentenced by Judge Steven Slocum on three felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement with an enhancement for theft totaling over one hundred thousand dollars, according to a Merced County District Attorney’s Office news release.
A jury convicted him on all counts in December. An arrest warrant had been issued for Brooks back in 2019 after the crimes were committed. He was arrested in Kingman, Arizona the following year.
As part of the sentence, Brooks must pay back the union $71,150 in restitution. He must also pay a fine of $142,300.
“The actions taken by the defendant against his own fellow law enforcement officers were very serious,” Merced County District Attorney Nicole Silveira said in the release.
“Fraud perpetrated by people in positions of trust should never be tolerated.”
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ryan Heller and Deputy District Attorney Andre Margain.
Brooks was also sentenced to a two-year grant of probation that can extend up to 10 years if restitution is not paid in full.
Should Brooks violate the terms of his probation, he could be sentenced to state prison for a term of two years in prison, the release said.