Los Altos Man Sentenced For Posing As San Bruno Explosion Victim

A Superior Court judge today sentenced convicted fire relief aid scammer Daniel Stansbury to two years and eight months in state prison.

Stansbury, 41, of Los Altos pleaded guilty in January to four felony counts for fraudulently applying for and receiving aid intended for the victims of the deadly Sept. 9 gas pipeline explosion.

Stansbury received four months less than the maximum possible sentence for two counts of burglary, one count of identity theft and one count of grand theft.

Judge Lisa Novak credited Stansbury with 361 days for time served and good behavior, meaning he could be released by the end of next year.

Stansbury was among seven people arrested on suspicion of fraud in the aftermath of the blast that left eight people dead and displaced dozens from the devastated Crestmoor area after 38 homes were consumed in the fire.

Co-defendants , both of San Bruno, who pleaded no contest to felony charges of commercial burglary and perjury in January, were credited with time served and sentenced to probation and community service.

, 23, of San Francisco was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years probation after pleaded guilty to one count of commercial burglary at her preliminary hearing in January.

, 46, of San Francisco was sentenced to one year in county jail earlier this month after pleading guilty to four fraud-related felonies.

Niesha Taylor, 25, is awaiting trial later this year on similar charges. Her co-defendant, Deonte Bennett, 25, of San Leandro remains at-large after failing to show up for his arraignment in November.

During the fire scammer proceedings, Stansbury was described as the worst offender of them all.

Prosecutors said he visited a local assistance center twice, using an alias once and his real name on another occasion, claiming to live in the affected area. He received $2,000 in gift cards and benefits, including 13 nights at the San Francisco Airport and San Jose Hiltons, plus a rental car for the entire period.

 arrested Stansbury on Sept. 23 at the San Jose Hilton, where they found him in possession of $5,900 in cash, computer printouts showing other San Bruno addresses in the affected area and forms for applying for additional disaster relief aid.

"That's a fellow with a certain amount of chutzpah," San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told San Bruno Patch last year.