The employee tasked with managing Oceanside’s $500 million investment portfolio was previously convicted of felony burglary for stealing the city’s credit card and thousands of dollars from Home Depot as part of a gift card scam as a teen, public records reveal.
Voice of San Diego discovered Oceanside Treasury Manager Steve Hodges’ prior felony theft conviction while investigating Hodges’ claim elected city treasurer Victor Roy lost the city millions of dollars. It turned out legal callable investments were to blame.
Public records also reveal Hodges has made a habit of complaining about colleagues and public agency employers in the past and has walked away with hefty settlements – a $590,000 payout earlier this year from the Costa Mesa Sanitary District and a separate $49,000 payout from the city of Las Vegas in 2014.
The revelations about Hodges’ history are the latest twists in a saga that has left Oceanside investigating Roy for various alleged misdeeds and seeking a replacement for Hodges, who is still employed but has plans to resign later this year, according to city officials.
Hodges, 41, did not respond to multiple requests for an interview about his prior work and conviction, which was reduced to a misdemeanor in 2003 and expunged in 2004, according to California Superior Court records. Documentation of the criminal case continues to be held by local court offices and the San Diego County…
