Santa Barbara Man Charged with Stealing Over $1 Million From Family Members

Stefan Bernard DeWitte is Charged with Embezzlement, Forgery, Money Laundering, and more

A Santa Barbara man has been arrested on multiple fraud charges for allegedly stealing over $1 million dollars from his family members.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced Friday that charges have been filed against Stefan Bernard DeWitt, a 38-year-old Santa Barbara resident.

DeWitte is charged with 49 counts, including Embezzlement, Forgery, Theft by False Pretense,
Securities Fraud, and 37 counts of Money Laundering. He is also charged with the Aggravated
White Collar Crime Enhancement for allegedly taking more than $500,000.00, and three Special Allegations of laundering more than $50,000.00 within a 30-day period, according to DA Savrnoch.

In total, DeWitte allegedly stole over $1,000,000.00 from three different individuals, two are believed to be family members and the third is California Pacific Realty.

District Attorney Investigator Kristen Shamordola of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Unit conducted the investigation. According to the 35-page felony complaint, the crimes occurred between 2021 and 2023.

DeWitte, whose occupation is listed as a “Real Estate Broker” in his booking information, is accused of forged the deed and supplementary documents connected to a home in the 600 block of S. San Marcos Road in Santa Barbara. He’s also accused of fraudulently taking money as an investment in the fictitious “BETTER FUTURES FUND IV/GREEN TRIANGLES CORP.”

The complaint also lists a detailed accounting of where DeWitte spent some of the stolen money. Charges were racked up in a series of bars, restaurants, Doordash, and Uber rides as well as travel expenses to Austin, Texas in 2022 for ILLfest, a music and arts festival.

DeWitte also used the illicit funds to dine at local establishments such as the Honor Bar, Milk & Honey, Dargans, Caje, SOhO and Tee Off.

DeWitte was arrested on October 31, 2024 and is being held on $800,000 bail at the Santa Barbara County Jail. As of November 1, 2024 he was still in custody.

His case is set for arraignment on the complaint on November 4, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. in Department 8 of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.