Craig Case sentenced to 26 years in state prison for embezzlement of elderly Montecito woman
Former private investigator and TV personality Craig Alan Case has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for his role in defrauding an elderly woman from Montecito.
Announced May 6, Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch sentenced Case to 26 years and eight months in state prison after being found guilty of 62 felony counts and one misdemeanor count.
These felonies stem from his embezzlement of nearly $700,000 from a bank account of Constance McCormick Fearing — a wealthy Montecito arts patron who is now deceased.
Case has been in law enforcement custody since his arrest during a court appearance in July of 2023.
Of those 62 felony counts, 45 were related to money laundering, with others pertaining to tax evasion charges and more.
The jury also found true several aggravating circumstances, including that the victim was particularly vulnerable, that there was a notable financial loss for the victim, and that Case had personally persuaded others to participate in the crimes.
According to court documents, Case, between 2018 and April 2021, conspired with Nancy Coglizer — who held power of attorney for then 94-year-old Fearing — to embezzle approximately $690,000 from her accounts. The fraudulent activity was uncovered in July 2021, when the Trustee of Fearing’s Trust noticed numerous checks made out to Case purportedly for security services.
Coglizer pleaded guilty to embezzlement and admitted to conspiring with Case to commit the thefts in October 2024. She testified against him during Case’s trial, stating he groomed and manipulated her — exploiting her depression and struggles with alcoholism — to carry out the thefts on his behalf.
Coglizer received a 10-year probation sentence, was ordered to serve 364 days in county jail and was remanded into custody after the hearing to begin serving her sentence.
According to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Coglizer was ordered to pay $690,000 in restitution and a hearing to determine the amount of restitution Case will have to pay is currently scheduled on May 20 of this year.
“Financial abuse of elderly vulnerable victims will not be tolerated in our community,” said Savrnoch.
