Santa Maria woman sentenced to 10+ years for stealing from elderly clients

Santa Maria woman sentenced to 10+ years for stealing from elderly clients 
NBC KSBY-6, California's Central Coast; by KSBY Staff; 5/20/25 
A former Santa Barbara County investment advisor was sentenced Monday to just over 10 years in federal prison for stealing millions of dollars from elderly clients of her investment advisory business in the Santa Maria area. Julie Darrah, 52, of Santa Maria, ran an investment advisory business called Vivid Financial Management Inc. (VFM). ... Prosecutors say she stole approximately $2.25 million from her clients between November 2016 and July 2023. ... In December 2024, a U.S. District judge found her liable to pay back her clients $2,416,511. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials say Darrah abused the trust her victims placed in her, accusing the defendant of manipulating her elderly clients into believing she would take care of them in their older years, like a daughter. Darrah would then use this trust to persuade her victims to sign documents giving her the ability to transfer funds from their bank accounts into other accounts, including her own. Some of her victims were reportedly left in desperate circumstances, without the money to pay for needed end-of-life care. ... Anyone who thinks they may be a victim of financial fraud can contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11.