The former executive director of the Gala Pride and Diversity Center in San Luis Obispo was charged with embezzling funds from the organization on Monday, Dec. 1, by the county’s district attorney’s office.
Dustin Robert Colyer-Worth, 46, had allegedly embezzled the organization’s funds from November 2022 to October 2024, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
According to online case filings, Colyer-Worth had been charged with grand theft felonies of over $950 on four separate occasions over his last two years with the organization.
In October 2024, the center announced in a letter from its board that Colyer-Worth had diverted funds from the organization into his personal accounts — amid persistent financial struggles faced by the center, Mustang News previously reported.
“Beyond being appalled by such behavior, we are deeply saddened to discover that a trusted leader of our organization would betray our LGBTQ+ community and attempt to profit from your generosity to our mission,” last year’s letter wrote.
READ MORE: Gala Pride and Diversity Center addresses financial crisis
The board cut ties with Colyer-Worth on Sept. 22, 2024, before uncovering the alleged embezzlement by the then part-time employee and previous executive director of the organization.
Representatives from Gala Pride and Diversity Center did not respond to Mustang News’ request for comments regarding how much Colyer-Worth had allegedly embezzled from the organization in time for the publishing of this article.
A complaint against Colyer-Worth was filed on Nov. 17 by the people of the state of California, according to online court filings.
“Embezzlement of funds is crime that we take seriously,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “It inflicts real financial harm, but its deeper damage is the broken trust and the lost opportunities when the money intended for our community is diverted into private pockets.”
A $20,000 bond was posted for Colyer-Worth on Nov. 25, and he is currently not in jail custody, according to the district attorney’s release. Colyer-Worth’s arraignment date is scheduled for Dec. 10, according to court records.