San Bernardino Supervisor Neil Derry has been charged with three criminal counts due to allegations that he "knowingly and willfully" failed to report a $5,000 campaign contribution. The charges were filed by the Attorney General’s office and two charges are considered felonies (perjury and filing a false report) and one charge is considered a misdemeanor (failure to report a campaign contribution). The charges are the latest news in a corruption case that has been ongoing in San Bernardino County. The crux of the case appears to be the allegation that the campaign contributions were laundered through a political action committee. The PAC was under the control of former San Bernardino County Supervisor William Postmus, who has stated that Derry was culpable in a laundering scheme. The LA Times reports:
“Postmus pleaded guilty in March to three corruption charges and agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation in San Bernardino County. According to the declaration, Postmus told investigators that he agreed with Derry and one of his campaign aides to ‘launder’ $5,000 to $10,000 in contributions intended for Derry through the Inland Empire committee. ’Postmus understood that Derry did not want to take ... these contributions directly to his campaign,’ state Department of Justice Special Agent Shannon Williams said in the declaration. A spokesman for Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris said Tuesday that Derry could receive a maximum sentence of four years in state prison if convicted. The attorney general was planning to forward evidence to the state Fair Political Practices Commission for possible administrative charges, the spokesman said.”
Derry will have to report to San Bernardino County Superior Court on June 9 and he was not arrested. Board Chairwoman Josie Gonzales called the case “disturbing.” More info here.
You can read the charges against Derry here.
A declaration in support of the complaint can be seen here.
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