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

May 19, 2025

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.”