‘Heartbreaking betrayal.’ SLO LGBTQ+ nonprofit director sentenced for embezzling
The former executive director of San Luis Obispo County’s leading LGBTQ+ nonprofit was sentenced to three months in jail Thursday after he was already ordered to pay back nearly $60,000 in embezzled funds from the organization.
On Nov. 17, former GALA Pride and Diversity Center executive director Dustin Colyer-Worth was charged with four felony counts of grand theft over $950. He was accused of embezzling from the organization between November 2022 and August 2024, according to court filings. He originally pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Each grand theft charge carries a maximum sentence of three years in jail or state prison, giving him a total maximum sentence of 12 years in prison, but as a condition of a plea deal entered last month, Colyer-Worth pleaded guilty to only two of the charges. The others were dismissed.
As indicated in the plea deal, Judge Michael Frye sentenced Colyer-Worth to 90 days in jail and two years of probation. He was also required to pay $59,302 back to the nonprofit before the sentencing hearing.
Colyer-Worth’s defense attorney William Aron said at the hearing that his client had paid restitution in full, but that he had to take out a loan to make the payment — in addition to losing his job as a result of his conviction.
“It’s going to take him some time to get back on his feet financially,” Aron said, asking for the court to consider relief in additional sentencing and restitution fines.
Frye struck court operation and conditions fees but kept $1,700 in other felony restitution and court fines.
“When someone abuses a position of trust for personal gain, it undermines confidence in institutions that serve our community,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in a news release Thrusday. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute fraud and protect victims.”
Aron declined on behalf of Colyer-Worth when asked for additional comment after the sentencing Thursday.
Former GALA president shed tears over ‘heartbreaking betrayal’
Julia Thompson, the president of GALA’s board of directors from January 2024 to January 2026, then spoke as a representative of the victim organization.
Thompson said she appreciated Colyer-Worth taking responsibility for his actions and paying restitution, but said she wanted to share how the impact of his actions extended “beyond financial damage.”
“The GALA Pride and Diversity Center exists to serve LGBTQ+ individuals in our community, many of whom come to us during moments of vulnerability, isolation or transition, and we strive to be not just a service provider, but a place of belonging,” Thompson said. “There is trust and safety that’s built over time in an organization like ours, and when someone in a leadership role violates that trust, the damage cannot be contained to a balance sheet.”
Thompson said that, since Colyer-Worth’s embezzlement was revealed, GALA has lost credibility with existing donors and partners, and some funding opportunities have been delayed or lost altogether.
Thompson began to cry halfway through her statement, and San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Ben Blumenthal handed her a box of tissues as she spoke of the “deeply personal” impact of Colyer-Worth’s actions.
“This harm occurred within a close-knit LGBTQ+ community,” Thompson said. “Mr. Colyer-Worth was not a stranger, and he was not a standard employee. He was a trusted member of a marginalized community. He was somebody I, and many others, considered a friend. When my staff came to me with the evidence they found of this breach, it was a heartbreaking betrayal, and I didn’t want to believe it.”
Thompson concluded her statement by saying that her goal was not to revisit the resolution of the case, but to ensure that the impact of the crime is recognized — not just as a financial crime, but as a “breach of trust that deeply affected a vulnerable community.”
After Thompson’s statement, Blumenthal spoke to inform the court that the current board of directors at GALA, represented by defense attorney Ilan Funke-Bilu, agreed to the plea deal.
GALA believed that the amount paid by Colyer-Worth covered the financial loss, including interest on money stolen, Blumenthal said.
After Frye read the sentence, Aron asked if Colyer-Worth could serve his term in another county, as he is no longer a resident of SLO County. Frye said that the court had no objection, but approval to serve the sentence elsewhere would need to be obtained from the Sheriff’s Office.
Colyer-Worth was ordered to surrender to jail custody by Sept. 30.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 11:33 AM.
