Longtime Oxnard grower gets 30 days in jail, 2 years probation for groundwater theft
A longtime local grower and former water district board member was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years of probation for one felony count of grand theft Friday in a case involving groundwater theft.
Daniel Conklin Naumann, 66, pleaded guilty to the charge in March as part of a plea agreement, according to Ventura County Superior Court records. Five other felony charges concerning grand theft and diversion of utility services for private gain were dismissed at the sentencing.
In a criminal complaint filed in August, Naumann, of Camarillo, was accused of diverting groundwater used to irrigate his crops away from meters that measured water use for billing purposes.
Naumann, who owns and operates Naumann Family Farms in Oxnard, pumped groundwater between 2019 and 2021 without paying $29,301 in required fees to the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Prior to Friday's sentencing, Naumann paid $30,000 in restitution for stealing the water for his own agricultural use.
At a brief hearing Friday morning, Judge David Hirsch informed the defendant that he may be permitted to avoid jail time and could be screened for an electronic monitoring option, however, eligibility will be determined by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.
"If you don't get it (electronic monitoring), you're turning yourself in for a real jail sentence at that time," the judge said.
Neither Prosecutor Anthony Wold or Naumann's attorney Mark Pachowicz commented on the case during the hearing. Pachowicz declined to comment afterward.
Thefts in 2019 were discovered when Ventura County Sheriff's investigators searched Naumann's farm and found diversion measures had been taken on two well pumps, according to prosecutors. Other charges for grand theft and diversion were related to alleged incidents from 2020 through 2021.
Naumann had served for decades as an elected board member for the United Water Conservation District, which encompasses the Santa Clara River Valley and much of the Oxnard Plain. He has also served as an alternate on the Fox Canyon board.
Both United and Fox Canyon manage and preserve groundwater resources for agricultural uses in Ventura County as well as establishing water allocations and charging agricultural user fees to pump groundwater.
Naumann resigned from the United Water seat on March 2. His resignation letter noted he had served more than 32 years on the board. Naumann's family established farming operations on the Oxnard Plain in the 1890s, according to his former profile on United Water's website.
Breaking News Editor Gretchen Wenner and Staff writer Kathleen Wilson contributed to this report.
Dua Anjum is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at dua.anjum@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard grower Daniel Naumann sentenced for groundwater theft
