Trial date set for former Merced police detective accused of embezzlement
A jury trial date has been set for Joseph Deliman — the former Merced Police detective and Merced County District Attorney’s Office investigator arrested in 2018 for allegedly embezzling over $80,000 from the police union.
Deliman’s jury trial is slated to begin Sept. 28, the California Attorney General’s Office confirmed to the Sun-Star. A pretrial conference is scheduled for May 24.
The veteran detective pleaded not guilty to felony grand theft charges in November 2018, one month after his arrest. A year-long investigation by the California Department of Justice led up to Deliman’s arrest.
The state’s investigation revealed a pattern of Deliman allegedly using Merced Police Officers’ Association (MPOA) funds for personal expenses like groceries, fast food and trips to locations like Carmel, Las Vegas and Niagara Falls.
The alleged misappropriation of funds took place over a three-year period from 2014 to 2017. As the union’s president, Deliman had been responsible for its financial accounts from about 2007 to 2016 and had a union credit card in his name, the allegations say.
The MPOA’s governing board told the Attorney General’s Office that the credit card existed without its knowledge.
Just months before the embezzlement accusations surfaced, Deliman left the Merced Police Department after more than 20 years to work as an investigator for the Merced County District Attorney’s Office. Deliman resigned after the embezzlement accusations surfaced.
The suspected embezzlement was reported to the state Attorney General’s Office shortly after Deliman vacated his role as MPOA president. The new union president, Officer Emily Foster, had noted discrepancies in the union’s financial records.
Deliman had previously admitted to embezzling MPOA money while testifying in an unrelated case he had worked on in his role as lead detective. But he was granted immunity from those admissions, preventing them from being used as evidence in the embezzlement case.
During his time with the Merced Police Department, Deliman played a prominent role in many violent crime investigations and served as lead investigator for several high-profile cases.
One such case was the slaying of Bill and Lena Chapman, who were killed in their home on East South Bear Creek by burglars who set the house ablaze.
Case similar to ex sheriff’s deputy’s alleged embezzlement
Deliman’s alleged actions bear resemblance to allegations against Phillip Brooks, a former Merced County Sheriff’s deputy who is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from the county Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
Once president of the sheriff’s union for several years, law enforcement lost track of Brooks after he allegedly misappropriated at least $100,000 from the union.
A warrant for Brooks’ arrest was filed in March of 2019 with bail set at $75,000. He was later located and arrested in Arizona in February of 2020.
Brooks pleaded not guilty in March of 2020 to embezzlement charges, according to Merced Superior Court records. He also denied guilt of committing aggravated white collar crime over $100,000.
Brooks’ next pre-preliminary hearing is set for March 17 of this year.
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 5:07 PM.
