Paying a high price: Government officials admit taking pot-shop bribes
Two former city officials in California have pleaded guilty to taking bribes to smooth the path for the opening of a pot shop. The Department of Justice on Friday said a former Calexico City councilman along with a former commissioner on the city’s Economic Development and Financial Advisory Commission, David Romero, 36, and Bruno Suarez…
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Two former city officials in California have pleaded guilty to taking bribes to smooth the path for the opening of a pot shop.
The Department of Justice on Friday said a former Calexico City councilman along with a former commissioner on the city’s Economic Development and Financial Advisory Commission, David Romero, 36, and Bruno Suarez Soto, 28, pleaded guilty to corruption charges. The two admitted they accepted cash bribes in exchange for promises of official action by the city.
They are scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 4 and are free on $10,000 bonds until then.
The DOJ said: "According to their plea agreements, Romero and Soto accepted $35,000 in cash bribes from an undercover FBI agent who they believed represented investors seeking to open a cannabis dispensary in Calexico. In return, Romero and Soto guaranteed the rapid issuance of a city permit for the dispensary, and to revoke or hinder other applicants if necessary to ensure that the bribe payer’s application was successful."
In addition to being a councilman, Romero was serving as Calexico’s mayor pro tem, meaning he was set to become mayor in July 2020. Soto recently resigned from the city commission responsible for promoting business and community growth and coordinating with prospective developers to help them invest in the City of Calexico.
Moreover, both men admitted they had taken bribes from others in the past, according to the charging document.
The federal government alleged that during a Dec. 19, 2019, meeting at a restaurant in Calexico with the undercover FBI agent, Romero and Soto agreed to fast-track the agent's purported application for a cannabis dispensary permit.
The FBI agent also asked if the two city officials would later demand more money. Romero, according to court papers, responded: "This is done. Set and sealed."
But they demanded the money up front since "they had done similar work for other people, and those people had not paid the agreed-upon fee after the favors had been rendered," the charging documents explain.
At a later meeting, on Jan. 9, the undercover agent handed Soto $17,500 in cash in two envelopes, one with $8,800 and another with $8,700.
The second installment was delivered Jan. 30, the documents allege.
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