Former Merced police detective’s grand theft trial beset by more delays

The trial of a former Merced Police detective and Merced County District Attorney’s Office investigator was postponed again this week in an already lengthy case.

Joseph Deliman, 60, was arrested in October 2018 on charges of felony grand theft after being accused of stealing $79,496.94 in money and personal property from the Merced Police Officers’ Association, according to court records.

He pleaded not guilty in Merced County Superior Court in November 2018 and his trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 10.

As MPOA’s president, Deliman was responsible for the association’s financial accounts from 2006 to 2017.

Deliman’s accused of lying to fellow members by telling them a financial account belonging to the association had been closed, when he was allegedly keeping it open and using funds from that account to pay for charges on a union credit card in his name that only he knew about.

He later admitted to using MPOA funds for personal use while testifying in a murder trial in August of 2018 in a case he once investigated.

The association found out about Deliman’s use of these funds in June of 2017, according to case files, and Deliman was arrested after a year-long investigation by the California Department of Justice.

The investigation found Deliman allegedly used association money to pay for groceries, trips to fast food restaurants and vacations to Carmel, Las Vegas and Niagara Falls from 2014 to 2017.

After his arrest, he posted bail and was released from custody.

Deliman left the Merced Police Department in 2017 to accept a new job as an investigator with the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

After he left his position as MPOA president, his successor noticed discrepancies in the financial records Deliman left behind and contacted the Attorney General’s Office. Within months of leaving the Merced Police Department, the embezzlement accusations surfaced and he resigned from his new post.

Myles Campbell, the prosecutor in the case, declined comment on the delays.

This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 1:10 PM.