Officials
Allegedly Took Bribes from Person Who Wanted to Open Marijuana Store
LOS ANGELES—Special agents with the FBI
this morning arrested the mayor of the city of Cudahy, a member of the Cudahy
City Council, and the head of the city’s Code Enforcement Division on federal
bribery charges.
A criminal complaint filed in United
States District Court alleges that the three officials from the city in
southeastern Los Angeles County accepted a total of $17,000 in cash bribes
earlier this year. According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, the
three officials requested and accepted cash payments in exchange for supporting
the opening of a “medical marijuana” store in the city.
The three officials arrested this
morning are:
Osvaldo Conde, 50, a member of the
Cudahy City Council, who allegedly accepted two separate bribe payments;
David Silva, 61, the current mayor of
Cudahy; and
Angel Perales, 43, who runs the Code
Enforcement Division of the Cudahy Community Services Department (and is also
the head of the Cudahy Parks and Recreation Department).
Conde, Silva, and Perales are expected
to make their initial court appearances this afternoon in United States
District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
“The stain left by public corruption is
indelible, extending beyond any individual case because of the general erosion
of public confidence in government,” said United States Attorney André Birotte,
Jr. “The allegations in this case describe a corrosive and freewheeling
attitude among certain officials in the city of Cudahy. The Department of
Justice will aggressively investigate and pursue cases like this to ensure that
the integrity of good government is protected and preserved.”
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven
M. Martinez stated, “The alleged participation by multiple public officials in
a bribery scheme is unfair to the residents of Cudahy. This case will send the
right message to corrupt public officials and is a step toward restoring honest
stewardship to the city of Cudahy.”
The affidavit summarizes the bribery
allegations: “On the afternoon of February 28, 2012, following weeks of bribe
solicitations and related discussions made during recorded meetings and
telephone calls, Conde, Silva, and Perales met an FBI confidential informant at
the El Potrero nightclub in Cudahy, California. The three Cudahy city officials
accepted a total of $15,000 cash as bribe payments. Later that evening, Conde
met the confidential informant to receive an additional $2,000 cash as a
bribe.”
The 143-page affidavit, which was
unsealed this morning, describes an investigation in which federal law
enforcement agents recorded a number of conversations with Cudahy city
officials. During those conversations, the city officials explained that the
Cudahy City Council planned to approve only one or two permits for marijuana
stores in Cudahy. According to the affidavit, Perales sought to broker an
arrangement between an FBI informant and city officials in which the informant
would make cash payments in exchange for the officials supporting a request for
one of the permits.
Perales explained to the informant that
“[t]here are three parts to this game”—Conde, Silva, and himself, according to
the affidavit. Perales also allegedly told the informant that “these guys
[Conde and Silva] are not your typical...council people. [T]hey’ve dealt with,
uh, you know, people that throw money down.”
Prior to a meeting with Conde and Silva
at a Pico Rivera restaurant, Perales instructed the informant how he should
broach the topic of paying the bribes and later instructed the informant on how
to present the bribes, specifying that the payments should be in cash only,
according to the affidavit.
A criminal complaint contains
allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed
to be innocent until proven guilty in court.
The charge of bribery carries a
statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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