A former councilman and insurance broker in Clayton is being held at the San Mateo County Jail for embezzling thousands of dollars from an insurance client, Bay area News reported. A judge sentenced Joe Medrano to serve three years in jail for stealing $159,000, the article stated. After serving 18 months at the jail, he will be eligible for probation.

Medrano had kept a payment from Redwood Cityclient iPass instead of forwarding it to Travelers Insurance. At his trial, Medrano claimed he did not know he was breaking the law by keeping the payment. However, San Mateo County Superior Judge Jonathan Karesh said that was not the case. Karesh said Medrano had a "lack of remorse" for his crime, which he found "extraordinarily troubling," according to Bay Area News.

"This was not a procedural mistake," Karesh said, the article stated. "This was a theft and a scheme, pure and simple."

Medrano also fought to keep the commission on the money he stole - another suggestion Karesh rejected, Bay Area News reported. Medrano stepped down from this city council position last October. The source said he plans to appeal his conviction.

An earlier Bay Area News article stated that Medrano faced up to four years in prison for his crime. He was initially supposed to be sentenced December 31, but he missed the hearing because he was vacationing with his family, the source reported.

Hewasfree after posting bail, the Contra Costa Times reported. Medrano's attorney told the source the former councilman was told by a court clerk that the sentence hearing had been canceled, and decided to go on vacation. The clerk said that was not true, and that Medrano failed to respond to repeated emails, calls and text messages relating to the hearing.