• References

The Trust Project

References This article includes a list of source material, including documents and people, so you can follow the story further.
Aaron Victor Ceja, 48, was arrested this week after prosecutors say he stole about $770,000 from the Colorado Department of Transportation between 2011 and 2020 when he was a project manager for the agency, according to the Denver District Attorney Office.

A former Colorado Department of Transportation employee was charged this week after prosecutors say he stole more than $770,000 from the agency over a nine-year period to buy items including gift cards, camping gear and video equipment.

Aaron Victor Ceja, 48, is accused of theft, money laundering and embezzlement of public property for allegedly making unauthorized purchases between 2011 and 2020 through his state procurement card when he was a CDOT project manager, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said Thursday in a news release. 

Ceja is also accused of submitting bogus invoices to CDOT through a company set up in a family member’s name, All Around Technologies, which became an authorized CDOT vendor, the release stated. An investigation later revealed that Ceja operated the company. 

In August 2020, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation helped investigate, per request of CDOT’s executive director, the DA’s Office said. Ceja was arrested Tuesday.

Olivia Prentzel covers breaking news and a wide range of other important issues impacting Coloradans for The Colorado Sun, where she has been a staff writer since 2021. At The Sun, she has covered wildfires, criminal justice, the environment,...