The La Times reports
- A Baldwin Park council member’s $62,000 stash of backyard cash tipped off investigators to a pay-to-play marijuana licensing racket, turning a local “green rush” into a sprawling federal corruption case.
- Ricardo Pacheco was sentenced to up to 18 months in prison and must forfeit nearly $220,000, while former Compton Councilmember Isaac Galvan received 18 months and owes more than $320,000.
- Court filings depict a network of city officials, consultants and cannabis operators trading bribes for permits, campaign cash and contracts, implicating multiple San Gabriel Valley communities and fueling still-unfolding investigations into California’s legalized weed industry.
When the “green wash” of legalized marijuana was sweeping across California a decade ago, one local official tried to style himself as a gatekeeper for the new industry.
Ricardo Pacheco, a Baldwin Park city council member at the time, began meeting with other elected officials and new marijuana sellers, offering his services to smooth the regulatory challenges and foster investment, prosecutors alleged.
Authorities determined Pacheco was soliciting bribes and dug up $62,000 buried in his backyard in a search early in the case, marking the beginning of a sprawling corruption scandal that has spread through several communities. Pacheco wore a wire, resulting in six indictments involving more than 20 participants.
This week, the corruption scandal hit a milestone when Pacheco and another member of the scheme were sentenced.
Pacheco got up to 18 months in prison for bribery. Isaac Galvan, a former Compton city council member, got 18 months for facilitating bribes on Pacheco’s behalf. Pacheco agreed to forfeit almost $219,755 in illegal proceeds as part of his plea agreement, and Galvan agreed to pay $323,557.
Authorities said investigations related to the pot business in local cities are continuing.
