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Santa Maria investment advisor sentenced to more than 10 years in prison

May 19, 2025

Julie Darrah

By KAREN VELIE

A financial advisor from Santa Maria, who pleaded guilty to defrauding her clients and an out of state business out of millions of dollars, was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison.

Julie Darrah, 52, who had offices in Arroyo Grande, Orcutt and Lompoc, defrauding her clients out of $2.25 million and an out-of-state business out of  $5.4 million from Nov. 2016 through July 2023, according to a plea agreement with Justice Department officials. She used stolen funds to buy properties for herself, pay other personal expenses, buy luxury vehicles, and operate other business ventures.

In addition to the sentence of 121 months in federal prison, Darrah is required to pay restitution of approximately $7.7 million.

“Darrah took advantage of trust victims placed in her – often convincing them she would take care of them in their older years like a daughter, and she used this trust to convince them to sign the documents that she then used to steal money from them,” according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release. “Some victims were left in desperate circumstances, without the money to pay for end-of-life care, when the fraud was discovered.”

 


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Sociopaths. We seem to have a way of promoting them to the heads of government and industry in this county. They truly have no conscience or empathy. Power over others is not “leadership”. The “It’s all about me!” mentality is just sad.


Call me “woke”, but personally, I prefer we should err on the side of compassion rather than operating as a machine of acquisition and boundless personal greed. Concern for the wellbeing of others is the foundation of a solid society. Without connection and community, a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves, we have nothing of real value.


4

Or maybe she’s a self centered thief that stole from her customers.


6

Ummm, what I just said. Same thing.


1

And yet when government people do it no one is held accountable……


14

I wonder if she was ever a citizen of the year, lived in Atascadero or just a copycat? It is amazing how this scam repeats over and over again, especially when elderly people are in need of retirement help.


8

The highs and lows of having money remind me of a famous case in Australia in which a female financial advisor stole from her clients and disappeared when the heat came on. She, too, was living the high life, for a while.


1