Glamorous UC Davis assistant apologizes to court as she’s handed jail time for embezzlement

A former executive assistant at the UC Davis Fire Department was sentenced to jail after apologizing in court for stealing $40,000 in public funds.

Meagan McFadden, 35, received 180 days in the Yolo County Jail after pleading guilty to felony misappropriation of public money, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Prosecutors say McFadden collected unearned overtime pay at the California university.

Former fire chief Nathan Trauernicht allegedly authorized the payments and faces a separate case to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Before sentencing, the former executive assistant asked for forgiveness, pleading with the judge to allow her to serve her time at home under electronic monitoring.

‘I’m writing this letter to you because I would like to sincerely apologize. I take responsibility for my misconduct,’ McFadden read from a letter.

‘It is truly something that is extremely out of character for me. I do not have a history of any criminal activity, because I’ve always respected the justice system and obeying the law.’

McFadden noted that jail time would place a significant burden on her family, as her husband is a firefighter and they recently had a baby.

Meagan McFadden, 35, received 180 days in the Yolo County Jail after pleading guilty to felony misappropriation of public money, while she was an executive assistant at the UC Davis Fire Department

McFadden collected unearned overtime pay at the California university, said prosecutors

She added that she wants ‘to be a good role model for my baby and accept that actions have consequences.’

While the judge initially denied McFadden her request to serve her sentence from the comfort of her home, he informed her that she would have to apply for an alternative sentence program at the Yolo County Jail, according to the Bee.

The former executive assistant has until April 16 to be accepted into a program or surrender to jail.

She was ordered to pay $42,000 in restitution to the university and serve three years of probation, which her attorney, Thomas Johnson, said she could pay in 60 days, according to the outlet.

‘Ms. McFadden deeply regrets the conduct, as you could hear in her voice,’ Johnson said in court. ‘She did in fact take advantage of a situation.’

Her attorney said she was also humiliated as the case unfolded in court, and that McFadden did the right thing by offering to plead guilty early in the court process and pay restitution.

McFadden resigned from her position in January 2024 after more than four years with the department

She pleaded with a judge to serve her time from home while wearing a GPS device which was initially denied. She was ordered to pay $42,000 in restitution to the university and serve three years of probation

‘I think she has shown you this morning who she really is,’ Johnson said in court. ‘I don’t think she’ll ever be seen in a courtroom again.’

McFadden resigned from her position in January 2024 after more than four years with the department.

Additional charges of embezzlement and perjury were dismissed as part of her plea deal, according to court records.

Deputy District Attorney Preston Schaub, who appeared in court on behalf of the prosecutor, said he’s not seen many defendants apologize in court, according to the outlet.

‘It’s not the goal of the criminal justice system to humiliate or embarrass,’ Schaub told the judge.

‘That being said, shame is a very powerful motivator. And these are public proceedings. It’s almost impossible for us to insulate defendants from that kind of embarrassment.’

Trauernicht resigned before he was indicted by a Yolo County grand jury in December 2024 on a felony charge of misappropriating public funds.

His case is scheduled to return to court on March 5.