A former civilian investigator with the Westminster Police Department is facing more than a dozen felonies for falsely claiming to have worked hundreds of hours she allegedly didn’t work, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Nadia Arlett Alvarez Poblete, 26, of Huntington Beach is facing a single felony count of grand theft and 14 felony counts of presenting a false claim, court records show.
Prosecutors accused Poblete of “falsely altering” time sheets to claim she was working twice the amount of hours she actually worked.
A supervisor in the police department’s crimes against persons unit “noticed Poblete was often not at her workstation during her assigned shift and would leave well before her shift was over,” prosecutors added.
The supervisor informed the department’s professional standards unit, and an internal affairs investigation was launched that ultimately led to the case being turned over to the DA’s office, said Cameron Knauerhaze, a deputy chief with the Westminster Police Department.
“The conduct appears to have been carried out during the height of the pandemic during staffing challenges,” Knauerhaze said. “Our investigators are fully cooperating with the District Attorney’s investigation.”
The Westminster Police Department estimated that between Jan. 6, 2021 and Oct. 22, 2021, Poblete was paid for 566 hours she did not work, costing the city more than $12,000, according to the DA’s office.
Prosecutors confirmed that Poblete is no longer employed with the Westminster Police Department.
“The trust that the public must have in its law enforcement agencies does not rest solely with the uniformed officer,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “The public’s confidence rests in the professionalism and ability of every person employed by that agency, from the front counter staff to the chief and everyone in between …
“Thankfully, the Westminster Police Department recognized the untruthfulness by one of its employees and took immediate action to put a stop to it and protect precious taxpayer dollars,” the DA added.
If convicted, Poblete faces up to 12 years and four months in state prison. She is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Feb. 8.
