A Sheriff’s Office custody sergeant pleaded not guilty Monday morning to allegations of timecard fraud and stealing public money for overtime shifts he didn’t work.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed 64 criminal charges against Jeffrey Koeller, 39, on Monday, including grand theft, misappropriation of public funds and several dozen instances of fraudulent claims.
Koeller pleaded not guilty to the allegations, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office arrested Koeller on Thursday on suspicion of embezzlement of a public officer, grand theft and forgery for fraudulent timecard activity.
He allegedly claimed more than $93,000 of compensation for time he did not work while serving as a custody sergeant at the Northern Branch Jail near Santa Maria, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Raquel Zick said.
Koeller, who is on administrative leave pending the investigation and criminal case, is accused of filing false timecard entries between March 2023 and January 2026. He is also accused of presenting false information on a shift commander’s recap “with the intent to defraud” during that period.
The criminal complaint does not cite a specific amount of money, but alleges the value exceeds $50,000.
The criminal complaint also notes that, per California Government Code, “any public employee convicted of a felony for conduct arising out of or in the performance of their official duties is required to forfeit all benefits accrued after the date of first commission of the crime.”
Koeller is the second sheriff’s custody sergeant to be arrested and charged with timecard fraud related to overtime pay this year.
In January, Custody Sgt. Segun Ogunleye, 34, was arrested and charged with allegedly falsifying timecards and stealing more than $175,000 in overtime pay for shifts he did not work.
Sheriff’s Office staff reviewed hundreds of timecards after that arrest and identified that Koeller’s timecard also had significant anomalies, according to Zick. That prompted the second criminal investigation.
These allegations come during a period of extra scrutiny on the Sheriff’s Office’s overtime staffing costs.
The county Board of Supervisors has asked for audits and regular reports on overtime spending, which reached about $20 million each of the past two years.
A recent Civil Grand Jury investigation found that a lack of oversight and operating two jails were driving overtime costs. Staff has implemented changes to reduce those costs, Undersheriff Brad Welch told the board earlier this year.
Sheriff Bill Brown released a statement last week that said Koeller’s actions “betrayed the public’s trust and our agency.”
He also said the department will strengthen its systems “to prevent any such misconduct from happening again.”