Over a dozen felony charges have been levied against San Mateo County Community College District Vice Chancellor Jose Nunez, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.
Nunez is being charged with embezzlement and perjury, and unreported gifts, the DA wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
The charges are part of an ongoing investigation "into allegations of corruption & improper use of funds," the tweet said.
The larger investigation began about two and a half years ago, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told KCBS Radio in an interview on Thursday.
"There was a whistleblower who came forward," said Wagstaffe, and their office has been gathering evidence against several members of the college's administration.
Nunez is the first to be charged, with at least one more, former Chancellor Ron Galatolo, expected to face charges in January, said Wagstaffe.
Nunez has been the vice chancellor of facilities for several schools in San Mateo, including Skyline College, Canada College and the College of San Mateo.
Nunez is facing 15 felony counts, including one count of embezzlement of public money, 12 counts of perjury, relating to accepting gifts from various contractors and vendors, and two counts of district resources for political purposes.
"I don't mean he was funneling district money," said Wagstaffe. Instead, it focuses on him using, for instance, district computers to create campaign material.
Nunez was arraigned on Wednesday in Redwood City. He pled not guilty, said Wagstaffe, and if convicted, could face between 10 to 20 years in prison.
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