The U.S. Attorney’s Office on December 5 unsealed documents in the cases against two California officials who used their positions to net bribes from cannabis companies in exchange for licenses, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. Both men, former Baldwin Park City Attorney Robert Tafoya and former Commerce City Manager Edgar Cisneros, pleaded guilty a year ago to the charges and agreed to cooperate in the ongoing investigation.
As part of the deal, Tafoya also pleaded guilty to evading payment of about $650,000 in federal taxes.
The plea deals with Tafoya and Cisneros follow similar arrangements made with former Baldwin Park City Councilman Ricardo Pacheco and former San Bernardino County Planning Commissioner Gabriel Chavez. Tafoya and Cisneros were found to have facilitated bribes to Pacheco for their own benefit. Pacheco was forced to turn over $302,000 in funds obtained through the scheme.
Chavez, using a consulting agreement drafted by Tafoya, served as a middleman for Pacheco. He would accept “consulting” gigs from cannabis clients and then cut Pacheco in to secure his vote on the city council. According to their plea agreements, Chavez and Pacheco amassed at least $170,000 through the sham agreements from 2017 to 2019. Cisneros, working as a consultant for a different cannabis company, allegedly received $175,000 for his role, directing $45,000 to Chavez over the two-year period.
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