Accused of lying about ties to ex-assessor Bill Postmus, John DeFazio says no to a plea and may now face trial

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 07 February 2012 08:15 PM

An Apple Valley businessman accused of lying about his ties to former San Bernardino County assessor Bill Postmus turned down a plea deal Tuesday that would have spared him prison time.

As a result, John Dino DeFazio, 52, will return to court Thursday for a preliminary hearing to determine whether he will face trial on six felony charges of perjury.

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By Mark Gutglueck
Friday, January 6, 2012

Questions continue to dog the second highest ranking member of the county auditor-controller/treasurer-tax collector’s office with regard to the role he and a political action committee he controlled played in illegally passing through and laundering money for those convicted of or charged with participation in a bribery and extortion conspiracy.

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By Mark Gutgleuck
Friday, January 6, 2012
Originally Published: Friday, December 30, 2011

As of earlier this week, former state assemblyman Brett Granlund had actively avoided several attempts to serve him with a subpoena relating to the Colonies Settlement case.

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From left to right: Colonies scandal defendants Jeff Burum, Mark Kirk, Jim Erwin, and Paul Biane stand during a motion to delay their arraignment hearing in a San Bernardino Superior Courtroom

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 12/30/2011 11:37:49 AM PST

Investigations into corruption in San Bernardino County advanced in fits and starts over the past year.

Prosecutors gained ground when former Supvervisor-turned-Assessor Bill Postmus agreed in March to plead guilty to bribery, conflict of interest and misappropriation of public funds and to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

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Former Rancho Cucamonga City Councilman Rex Gutierrez, at left, received a 2 year, 8 month prison sentence, while Former Assessor taxpayer Advocate Greg Advocate, on the right, received 4 months of home detention. Both men were accused of virtually the same offenses.

Saturday, December 10, 2011 – 09:00 a.m.

Speaking of no  justice.

Friday’s plea deal between the  San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office and defendant Gregory Eyler depicts a stark reality when prosecutions turn political in nature.

The move avoids a jury trial originally set for January 30, 2012.

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Eyler

Mike Cruz and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
Posted: 12/09/2011 12:50:39 PM PST

Greg Eyler
SAN BERNARDINO – Gregory Eyler, a former taxpayer advocate for the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office, pleaded no contest Friday to an allegation that he drew pay from the county for work he never performed.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 12/08/2011 08:04:06 PM PST

San Bernardino County prosecutors have filed four additional perjury charges against an Apple Valley businessman accused of lying to the Grand Jury in a sweeping county corruption probe.

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“There really is no such thing as insider trading for real estate,” said Milsap. “It goes on in real estate all the time. That’s the benefit of local knowledge.”

Ryan Milsap, Adjunct Professor at USC School of Real Estate and Broker

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/14/2011 08:19:46 PM PST

Authorities looked hard at several land deals involving former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus during their investigation of the county’s $102 million legal settlement with Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP, according to recently released search warrants.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/12/2011 06:12:51 AM PST

The ways money flowed to candidates and political action committees and alleged acts of blackmail are detailed in search warrants in San Bernardino County’s $102 million legal settlement with Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP in November 2006.

The warrants, released last week, also describe what led authorities to suspect a county supervisor’s former chief of staff of criminal activity before he became a witness for the prosecution.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/09/2011 05:33:36 PM PST

An attorney for Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum said federal officials on Wednesday returned all materials seized from Burum’s home and office during an FBI raid on Sept. 15.

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BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 08 November 2011 10:05 AM

Search warrants released as part of a San Bernardino County corruption case detail how the four-year investigation grew from reports of political gifts to allegations of a far-reaching conspiracy involving several top county officials and a prominent developer.

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Joe Nelson, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Created: 11/07/2011 06:53:01 PM PST

The remaining search warrants served in a sweeping corruption probe involving a legal settlement between the county and a Rancho Cucamonga developer were released Monday.

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Bill Postmus and Jim Erwin

BY IMRAN GHORI AND DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITERS
ighori@pe.com | dbegley@pe.com

Published: 04 November 2011 09:59 AM

Search warrants released Friday provide more details of former San Bernardino County assessor and Supervisor Bill Postmus’ struggles with hiding his homosexuality and drug addiction as he was under scrutiny by authorities who suspected him of abusing his public office.

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Joe Nelson and Mike Cruz, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Created: 11/04/2011 10:56:54 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – Eleven search warrants served over a two-year period in a sweeping corruption probe tied to a legal settlement between the county and a Rancho Cucamonga developer were ordered released Friday by a Superior Court judge.

Read the documents: 1 | 2

(Disclaimers: Document #1 contains explicit language; pages containing private information have been removed from Document #2)

Judge Michael A. Smith ordered the search warrants released Friday after defense attorneys did not appear in court to object to their release or request redactions be made to the documents.

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Friday, October 21, 2011

The California Attorney General’s Office’s filing of charges against Third District San Bernardino County supervisor Neil Derry six months ago has opened up a can of legal and political worms that is likely to complicate the future political landscape for not only Attorney General Kamala Harris, but San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos and at least two of Derry’s colleagues on the board of supervisors.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/20/2011 03:12:49 PM PDT

The attorney representing Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum is asking a state appeals court to dismiss the remaining criminal charges against his client, who prosecutors charged in a sweeping county corruption probe.

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The Riverside City Council is discussing whether to name City Hall after Mayor Ron Loveridge.

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: 16 October 2011 05:58 PM

A campaign alliance between San Bernardino City Attorney Jim Penman and city clerk candidate Amelia Sanchez Lopez is raising eyebrows among longtime election watchers and concern among those who would like to see the pair defeated.

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Former San Bernardino County supervisor and assessor Bill Postmus.

BY DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITER
dgang@pe.com

Published: 14 October 2011 09:49 PM

An attorney for a former San Bernardino County assessor’s employee requested Friday that prosecutors compel Bill Postmus to submit to an interview with a defense team investigator.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 10/08/2011 08:36:40 PM PDT

Grand Jury testimony given by Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum in 2009 could prove beneficial to his defense and should have been provided to a criminal grand jury in April, according to Burum’s attorney.

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The Colonies figure says agents crippled his firms and took attorney documents. Feds say no privileged papers were
BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 07 October 2011 10:19 PM

An attorney for Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum urged federal officials to return material seized during a raid last month and accused them of taking documents that are protected by attorney-client privilege.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/06/2011 07:11:55 PM PDT

Senior state Assistant Attorney General Gary Schons will retire at the end of the month and will begin a new job at the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, officials from both offices said.

San Bernardino County Assistant District Attorney Jim Hackleman also is retiring. His last day is Friday.

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BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Published: 05 October 2011 10:00 PM

During a bitter four-year legal battle with San Bernardino County, Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum was frustrated that county supervisors weren’t getting the real truth as he saw it, so he had his friend Jim Erwin act as an unofficial liaison who could bypass attorneys and deliver messages directly to them, according to testimony Burum provided to a grand jury.

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Joe Nelson, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 10/04/2011 01:59:35 PM PDT

FBI agents violated Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum’s civil rights and lied when they said they did not search his attorney’s office, according to a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Riverside.

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Postmus

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/29/2011 09:38:47 PM PDT

The attorney for Bill Postmus is concerned that his client, who is cooperating with state and local prosecutors in their investigation of San Bernardino County’s $102 million legal settlement with a Rancho Cucamonga developer, could be in legal jeopardy from a federal investigation into the deal.

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Cook

Thursday, September 29, 2011 – 10:30 a.m.

State Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) has thrown his hat into the ring for San Bernardino County Supervisor.

Cook joins incumbent supervisor Neil Derry and San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman James Ramos to make a current field of three.

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San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos announces the indictment of Paul Biane, former of the Board of supervisors, Mark Kirk, former Chief of Staff for Board member Gary Ovitt, James Erwin, former Chief of Staff for Board member Neil Derry and Jeffrey Burum, General Partner of Colonies Partners, L.P., by the criminal Grand Jury during a press conference at the District Attorneys office on Tuesday, May 10, 2011. Al Cuizon/Staff Photographer (Sun file photo)

Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/27/2011 12:07:51 PM PDT

REPORTS FROM COURT: Get updates as they happen. Follow @SBcourts to keep up with the latest developments

Alleging a conflict of interest exists, the attorney for Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum wants the district attorney recused from prosecuting his client.

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06:51 AM PDT on Wednesday, September 28, 2011

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Probe

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered prosecutors to turn over additional evidence to defendants in a corruption investigation, including information their attorneys claim will show that the district attorney has a conflict of interest.

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Uffer

10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, September 22, 2011

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge is allowing former county administrator Mark Uffer to go forward with his wrongful termination lawsuit, finding that he has enough cause to argue that he was dismissed for cooperating with law enforcement.

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By Mike Cruz Staff Writer
Posted: 09/21/2011 12:38:23 PM PDT

Former taxpayer advocate Gregory Eyler, one of several people suspected of political malfeasance and fraud in the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office, has been scheduled for a jury trial in January.

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BY DUANE W. GANG and IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITERS
dgang@pe.com | ighori@pe.com

Federal agents descended upon Riverside and San Bernardino counties on Thursday, serving search warrants on nine locations with ties to the Colonies Partners corruption probe.

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Joe Nelson, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Created: 09/15/2011 12:04:21 PM PDT

FBI and IRS agents served nine search warrants Thursday at the homes and offices of former state Senator Jim Brulte, a Riverside publicist and four defendants in a sweeping San Bernardino County corruption scandal.

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Harris

Joe Nelson, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 09/08/2011 07:05:22 PM PDT

California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Thursday that despite the challenges at her office due to limited resources, her office remains committed to assisting San Bernardino County prosecutors in a sweeping corruption probe.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 09/03/2011 09:44:40 PM PDT

Attorneys for defendants in a sweeping corruption probe tied to San Bernardino County’s $102 million settlement with Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP complain that prosecutors presented one-sided evidence to a criminal grand jury in April.

Among the evidence prosecutors didn’t present include the March 2009 Grand Jury testimony of Colonies co-managing partner Jeff Burum, who at the time was called as a witness during a scandal at the county Assessor’s Office.

Read the rest of this entry »

From left, Paul Biane, Jim Erwin and Jeff Burum have their GPS ankle braclets removed Wednesday morning in the hallway of the San Bernardino Superior Court. A judge ordered the Colonies defendants’ electronic monitoring and travel restriction order be lifted. (Courtesy photos)

CORRUPTION IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
By Joe Nelson and Mike Cruz, Staff Writers
Created: 08/31/2011 10:05:07 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO — A San Bernardino Superior Court judge on Wednesday lifted an electronic monitoring and travel restriction order for four defendants in a sweeping county corruption case, while prosecutors announced they are appealing the dismissal of some of the charges against the defendants.

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10:31 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 31, 2011

BY IMRAN GHORI
STAFF WRITER
ighori@pe.com

Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Corruption Probe

Defendants in a San Bernardino County corruption case left court Wednesday free of the electronic ankle bracelets they had been forced to wear for more than three months.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/27/2011 09:47:32 PM PDT

The dismissal of five of seven criminal charges against Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum in a far-reaching county corruption scandal is the latest twist in a case that has seen sweeping changes in the past two years.

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Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/26/2011 03:12:40 PM PDT

Attorneys for defendants in a wide-ranging San Bernardino County corruption case are requesting that an electronic monitoring order and court-imposed travel restrictions be lifted for their clients.

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Mike Cruz and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
Posted: 08/20/2011 06:00:25 PM PDT

A judge’s decision to dismiss most of the felony charges against Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum in a sweeping corruption case should not affect the legal standing of key witness Bill Postmus, attorneys say.

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From left, Mark Kirk, Paul Biane, Jeff Burum and Jim Erwin stand before Judge Brian McCarville. All heard the judge dismiss at least one count against them in the San Bernardino County corruption probe. Each pleaded not guilty later in the day to the remaining charges.(Kurt Miller/Staff Photographer)

09:58 PM PDT on Friday, August 19, 2011

BY IMRAN GHORI and DUANE W. GANG
STAFF WRITERS
ighori@pe.com | dgang@pe.com

A San Bernardino County Superior Court judge dismissed the majority of charges against Rancho Cucamonga businessman Jeff Burum on Friday, a decision that his attorneys described as a major blow to prosecutors in a wide-ranging corruption probe.

Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/19/2011 10:05:32 AM PDT

A San Bernardino Superior Court judge on Friday dismissed five of seven felony charges against Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum, whom prosecutors allege bribed county officials to settle a lawsuit with his company for $102 million.

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By Mike Cruz
Posted: 08/19/2011 01:01:02 PM PDT

The prosecution could be ready to try Gregory Eyler, one of several defendants charged in the San Bernardino County Assessor’s Office scandal, after the defense reviews Grand Jury transcripts in the Colonies Partners LP settlement investigation.

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10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, August 13, 2011

By IMRAN GHORI
Staff Writer ighori@pe.com

Attorneys for the four defendants in the Colonies bribery case are attempting to have many of the charges against their clients dismissed when they return to court Friday.

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Postmus

By Joe Nelson Staff Writer
Posted: 08/12/2011 09:33:57 PM PDT

San Bernardino County cannot just sue Colonies Partners LP to recoup a landmark $102 million settlement because of former Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus’s guilty plea to bribery, the county’s CEO said.

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Settlement talks heat up after trip
Created: 08/06/2011 09:42:20 PM PDT

In September 2005, then-San Bernardino County Supervisor Bill Postmus returned from a trip to China insistent the county settle a land-rights lawsuit with a Rancho Cucamonga developer that spanned more than three years.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wagner

Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/03/2011 06:45:50 PM PDT

Retired San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Christopher Warner is demanding from former interim County Counsel Dennis Wagner a copy of a complaint Wagner filed against him and another judge in 2006 alleging judicial misconduct.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Postmus

Supervisor focused on support for settlement
Mike Cruz and Joe Nelson, Staff Writers
Posted: 08/03/2011 09:17:44 PM PDT

A move to expedite a settlement with Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP in 2006 backfired on Bill Postmus, the chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors at the time.

Read the rest of this entry »

08:12 AM PDT on Thursday, August 4, 2011

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Probe

The civil trial between San Bernardino County and San Bernardino Associated Governments tied to the political corruption scandal roiling county politics has been pushed to April 2012 by a San Diego County judge.

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10:00 PM PDT on Sunday, July 31, 2011

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

A 2006 measure to limit San Bernardino County supervisors’ terms in office was devised to sneak a huge pay increase past voters, according to some witnesses who testified before a criminal grand jury.

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10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, July 30, 2011
By IMRAN GHORI and DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

Over the course of San Bernardino County’s four-year legal battle with Colonies Partners, county officials say the company’s settlement demands escalated from an initial $25 million to a combination of cash and land that included a parcel potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Witness blasts Colonies settlement
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 07/30/2011 10:12:55 PM PDT

San Bernardino County doled out $102 million to a Rancho Cucamonga developer to settle a land-rights lawsuit based on inflated damage estimates by the developer with no documentation to justify the figures, according to Grand Jury witness testimony.

Read the rest of this entry »

10:19 PM PDT on Friday, July 29, 2011

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Probe

SAN DIEGO – A public corruption case in San Bernardino County is becoming increasingly intertwined with a related lawsuit, and some lawyers in the civil case accused the county counsel’s office of cooperating with one of the felony defendants.

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By Sandra Emerson Staff Writer
Posted: 07/29/2011 04:37:30 PM PDT

A judge will continue to review a request to delay the San Bernardino County Flood Control District’s lawsuit against three public agencies seeking to recoup part of a $102 million settlement at the center of bribery allegations.

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10:46 PM PDT on Thursday, July 28, 2011

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

San Bernardino County should be able to proceed with its attempt to share the burden of a $102 million legal settlement without waiting for a related criminal case to be resolved, a judge said Thursday.

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10:46 PM PDT on Thursday, July 28, 2011

By DAVID DANELSKI
The Press-Enterprise

Jim Erwin, the one-time sheriff’s deputy who rose in the tumultuous world of San Bernardino County politics to be a union boss, developer’s consultant, political operative and supervisor’s chief of staff, saw himself as “a consummate insider,” former Supervisor Bill Postmus testified to a grand jury this spring.

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Staff Report
Created: 07/28/2011 09:45:21 PM PDT

A judge is expected to make a final ruling today on whether to delay San Bernardino County Flood Control District’s effort to recoup $102 million connected to a legal settlement tainted by bribery allegations.

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Joe Nelson and Sandra Emerson, Staff Writers
Posted: 07/27/2011 08:31:48 PM PDT

Allegations of judicial misconduct against two San Bernardino Superior Court judges contributed to county attorneys’ refusal to settle a land- rights lawsuit with Rancho Cucamonga developer Colonies Partners LP for $102 million, according to Grand Jury testimony.

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Supervisor Gary Ovitt

Supervisor says Kirk didn’t control his office
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 07/26/2011 05:28:51 PM PDT

Grand Jury testimony released Friday does not accurately portray who was in charge in the county’s 4th District, according to Supervisor Gary Ovitt.

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10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 25, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG
The Press-Enterprise

When Colonies Partners first sued San Bernardino County in 2002 over flood-control improvements on its Upland development, they faced a Board of Supervisors unwilling to settle the dispute, recently released grand jury transcripts show.

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10:00 PM PDT on Monday, July 25, 2011

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

In fall 2005, then-San Bernardino County Supervisor Bill Postmus returned from a trip to China a changed man.

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Grand Jury papers reveal tensions
Mike Cruz and Sandra Emerson, Staff Writers
Created: 07/25/2011 08:23:19 PM PDT

In San Bernardino County’s 4th District, the chief of staff ran the show, according to Grand Jury testimony released last week.

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Postmus

July 25, 2011 2:13 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN BERNARDINO (AP) • Former San Bernardino County supervisor Bill Postmus says he leaked confidential information about negotiations to settle a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with a developer.

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Selection detailed to Grand Jury
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Created: 07/24/2011 09:11:11 PM PDT

Despite objections from San Bernardino County attorneys, Rancho Cucamonga developer Jeff Burum and two county supervisors negotiated who would mediate a legal settlement over a land rights dispute that netted the developer $102 million, according to Grand Jury testimony.

Read the rest of this entry »

Honorable Edward A. Panelli

10:38 PM PDT on Saturday, July 23, 2011

By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise

Former San Bernardino County Supervisor Bill Postmus testified to a grand jury that a high-profile mediator was brought in to help hammer out a final agreement in a lawsuit between the county and developer Colonies Partners primarily as a way to provide political cover for a deal rife with subterfuge.

Read the rest of this entry »

12:00 AM PDT on Sunday, July 24, 2011

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

Colonies Partners had a “direct pipeline” to San Bernardino County’s legal strategy during several months of negotiations because of leaks from confidential meetings by former Supervisor Bill Postmus, according to his grand jury testimony.

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11:58 PM PDT on Friday, July 22, 2011

By DUANE W. GANG and IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise

In the summer of 2006, Bill Postmus was running in a close race for San Bernardino County assessor while dealing with a worsening methamphetamine addiction and hiding the fact that he was gay.

Read the rest of this entry »

11:57 PM PDT on Friday, July 22, 2011

By BEN GOAD
The Press-Enterprise

On the day San Bernardino County’s board of supervisors voted to give his development company a $102 million settlement, Jeff Burum placed no fewer than six calls to Mark Kirk, then the top aide to Supervisor Gary Ovitt, investigators found.

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11:24 PM PDT on Friday, July 22, 2011

By DUG BEGLEY
The Press-Enterprise

Over the objections of every lawyer who ever handled the Colonies case for San Bernardino County, Supervisors Bill Postmus and Paul Biane pushed for a settlement even though they lacked any legal basis, court documents show.

Read the rest of this entry »

CONSPIRACY THEORY

In 2,500 pages, 45 witnesses detail the scandal
Joe Nelson, Mike Cruz and Sandra Emerson, Staff Writers
Created: 07/22/2011 07:48:56 PM PDT

Promises of continuing financial support versus the prospect of political ruin were key factors for at least two of the three county supervisors who approved a controversial $102 million settlement with developer Colonies Partners LP in 2006, according to testimony before the county’s grand jury earlier this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Judge delays release of Grand Jury transcripts, Colonies defendants back in court on July 22
By Joe Nelson Staff Writer
Created: 07/01/2011 09:11:56 PM PDT

A court reporter’s glitch resulted Friday in delaying the release of thousands of pages of Grand Jury transcripts in a criminal conspiracy and bribery case implicating former San Bernardino County officials and a Rancho Cucamonga developer.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Joe Nelson Staff Writer
Created: 06/23/2011 06:34:02 PM PDT

A San Bernardino Superior Court Judge on Thursday rejected a request to dismiss criminal charges against county Supervisor Neil Derry, whose attorney then entered a not-guilty plea for him at the scheduled arraignment proceedings.

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From left, developer Jeff Burum stands with Mark Kirk, the former chief of staff to San Bernardino County Supervisor Gary Ovitt, former San Bernardino County assistant assessor Jim Erwin and former San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane during an appearance in San Bernardino County Superior Court today. DAVID BAUMAN / The Press-Enterprise

By PE News
June 10, 2011 10:40 AM

A judge today delayed the arraignment for four defendants in the Colonies bribery case.

Read the rest of this entry »

Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/10/2011 10:15:14 AM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO — Attorneys for four men charged with bribery and other crimes in connection with the county’s $102 million legal settlement with Colonies Partners LP received transcripts this morning of grand jury proceedings that resulted in a 29-count criminal indictment last month.

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San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry, center, with his attorneys, Mark McGuire, left and Thomas M. Brown appear in court in San Bernardino on Thursday.

10:10 PM PDT on Thursday, June 9, 2011

By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
Published: 6/9/2011 10:54 AM

PDF: Neil Derry case demurrer

Special Section: San Bernardino Co. Corruption Probe

San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry is seeking to have campaign finance violation charges against him dismissed, arguing Thursday in court documents that his actions were “entirely legal.”

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By Mike Cruz Staff Writer
Posted: 06/09/2011 04:54:47 PM PDT

Online document: Challenge to felony charges

SAN BERNARDINO – County Supervisor Neil Derry’s arraignment in Superior Court on charges of laundering a campaign contribution was postponed Thursday when his lawyers filed paperwork to dismiss the charges.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sunday, May 29, 2011 – 10:50 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 2, 2011 – 08:09 a.m.

A review of public records from 2007-2009 show alleged bribes, made in the form of political action contributions by Colonies Partners, inexplicably went far and wide.

Not politicians pockets as has been portrayed in the media.

Read the rest of this entry »