A sprawling corruption scandal that began with authorities digging up $62,000 in cash from a backyard has reached a key point, with two former Southern California city officials receiving prison sentences this week. Ricardo Pacheco, a former Baldwin Park city council member, and Isaac Galvan, a former Compton city council member, were sentenced for bribery charges related to the legalized marijuana industry.
Pacheco, who prosecutors alleged attempted to position himself as a gatekeeper for the region's then-new cannabis industry, began soliciting bribes from businesses seeking marijuana development permits in Baldwin Park starting in 2017. His involvement became clear in 2018 when the FBI captured him in a video-recorded sting accepting $20,000 in cash, along with another $17,000 in contributions, for a vote on a police contract. Pacheco subsequently became an informant, wearing a concealed wire that helped uncover the extensive scheme involving more than 20 participants.
This week, Pacheco was sentenced to up to 18 months in prison for bribery and agreed to forfeit nearly $219,755 in illegal proceeds. Galvan received 18 months for facilitating bribes on Pacheco’s behalf and agreed to pay $323,557. Pacheco's cooperation led to six indictments and implicated several other officials, including a former Baldwin Park city attorney, a Commerce city manager, a San Bernardino County planning commissioner, and a marijuana distributor, all of whom have since pleaded guilty.
The probe uncovered a complex network involving various officials across several cities. Court records show Gabriel Chavez, a San Bernardino County planning commissioner, collected $170,000 from two marijuana firms, then paid Pacheco $93,000 in cash for his votes on permits. Chavez later received six months of monitored home detention. Robert Manuel Nacionales Tafoya, who was Baldwin Park city attorney at the time, drafted legal documents to funnel the money and is now cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to federal bribery and tax evasion. Former Commerce City Manager Edgar Pascual Cisneros also provided $45,000 in bribes to Pacheco for a permit.
“Mr Pacheco accepts responsibility and is profoundly sorry for betraying the public trust,” his attorney, Glenn Jonas, said. This widespread wrongdoing, which authorities say involved tens of thousands of dollars flowing through various interactions, began as Baldwin Park started permitting cannabis cultivation in 2017. Authorities have indicated that investigations related to the pot business in local cities are continuing, suggesting the full impact of the “green wash” of legalized marijuana and its accompanying corruption is still unfolding across Southern California.