Ricardo Pacheco Gets 18 Months for Bribery as FBI Finds $62,900 Buried in Backyard
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 30
Ricardo Pacheco Gets 18 Months for Bribery as FBI Finds $62,900 Buried in Backyard
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 30
Summary
Ricardo Pacheco, 63, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for taking bribes tied to a Baldwin Park police-union contract and commercial marijuana permits; he was also fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit $219,755.
FBI agents seized $83,145 in cash proceeds, including $62,900 Pacheco said he had buried in two spots in his backyard, while a restitution hearing remains pending.
Prosecutors said Pacheco took $37,900 from a Baldwin Park police officer in 2018 in exchange for supporting a union contract worth at least $4.4 million over three years; the officer was cooperating with the FBI.
The case also traced a marijuana permit scheme in which prosecutors said Pacheco received $70,000 from W&F International through former Compton councilman Isaac Jacob Galvan, who drew the same 18-month sentence and owes $323,557 in restitution.
The investigation widened after Pacheco was caught in a recorded sting and later became an FBI informant, helping build corruption cases that produced six indictments involving more than 20 people tied to local government and the marijuana industry.