Ex-SLO County Employee Convicted and Sentenced to Six Years Prison for Theft of Public Money

Author: District Attorney
Date: 8/21/2024 11:10 AM

District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that Atascadero resident Norman Hibble, (54) has been sentenced to serve six years in state prison. The sentence, which was imposed by Superior Court Judge Crystal Seiler, also requires Hibble to pay restitution to the County for his theft.

On July 17, 2024, Hibble pleaded guilty to seven felony counts of misappropriation of public funds on numerous occasions between April 2017 and October 2023. He also admitted that his criminal taking was more than $100,000 which provides a penalty enhancement for aggravated white-collar crime. The plea and admission of the aggravating enhancement resulted in his six-year sentence.

Hibble began working for the County of San Luis Obispo in 2008 and was terminated from employment in January 2024. In 2016, as a Supervisor in the Information Technology Department, Hibble was issued a county credit card which was to be used for official county business only. Over the course of the next several years, Hibble used his county credit card for countless personal and often exorbitant purchases. Hibble concealed his crimes by falsifying records and modifying invoices to disguise his thefts as legitimate purchases.

Hibble used the stolen funds to purchase items such as disc jockey (DJ) and lighting equipment believed to have been used in his personal event company Light and Sound, high-end photographic gear, an electric scooter, a telescope, a crossbow, and even large shipping containers which Hibble appears to have used to store many of the items he bought with stolen county funds.

The amount of theft is estimated to be above $500,000. A hearing to establish the exact amount of restitution owed will be held on October 2, 2024.

"No one is above the law and those who steal from the public that they serve deserve strict accountability for their betrayal of the trust given to them," said District Attorney Dan Dow. "We are grateful for the diligence of the County Auditor staff member who detected the unusual financial activity and reported this so it could be investigated and successfully prosecuted."

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the San Luis Obispo County Office of the Auditor-Controller and the District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal of the Major Fraud/Public Integrity Unit.

The mission of the District Attorney's Public Integrity Unit is to ensure that public and appointed officials, and their subordinates, fulfill their legally mandated duties. To this end, the District Attorney's Office will use all resources at its disposal to detect, investigate, and prosecute criminal misconduct at all levels of public service.

Through its efforts, the Public Integrity Unit's primary goal is to increase the public's level of trust and confidence in its elected and appointed officials serving in local agencies.

Here is a copy of the charging document. Here is a copy of the defendant's booking photo.

Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions.
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