Plea deal in alleged bribery case involving mall site, former mayor, appears to have been reached
Court records show Richard Meaney has had all but one charge dismissed. Published reports state he entered a plea of guilty to a single misdemeanor conflict-of-interest count last month.
A real estate developer accused of bribing former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, according to published reports. He faces possible sentencing in November.
Looking back: In 2019, Richard Meaney was charged with multiple counts of bribing a public employee, along with conspiracy, which are felonies, for his part in an alleged scheme involving Pougnet, who was also charged, along with developer John Wessman.
- The charges followed an investigation of activities more than a decade ago that ultimately led to the trio’s arrest in 2017. Those arrests followed seizure of documents at Palm Springs City Hall in 2015.
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Details: Prosecutors allege the three were involved in a bribery scheme that netted Pougnet roughly $375,000. In return, the former mayor is alleged to have worked to assure approvals for development at the site of the former Desert Fashion Plaza, where a major hotel and retail shops stand today.
Driving the news: Riverside County Superior Court records show Meaney has had all but one charge dismissed. The Desert Sun’s Christopher Damien reported Tuesday that a sealed court document shows Meaney entered a plea of guilty to a single misdemeanor conflict-of-interest count on March 24.
- “It’s not possible to confirm the specific action Meaney admitted to, due to the lack of transparency in the underlying case,” Damien wrote. Meaney’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Next steps: Pougnet and Wessman have denied all charges and are supposed to appear in court next week. Whether Meaney’s plea deal means he will testify against them remains to be seen.
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