Former California councilmen Ricardo Pacheco and Isaac Jacob Galvan have been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for their roles in a bribery scheme that involved accepting tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for political support and city permits.
The FBI uncovered the scheme after finding $62,900 in stolen cash buried in Pacheco's backyard. Both men pleaded guilty to federal program bribery.
Pacheco, 63, who served on the Baldwin Park City Council from 1997 to 2020 and was mayor pro tempore in 2018, was also fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit $219,755. Galvan, 39, a former Compton City Council member from 2013 to 2022, was ordered to pay $323,557 in restitution.
According to the Department of Justice, Pacheco accepted a $20,000 cash bribe from an undercover police officer in exchange for his support of the Baldwin Park Police Association's contract with the city. This contract was valued at approximately $4.4 million over three years. Pacheco voted to renew the contract in March 2018. He received a total of $37,900 in bribes from the officer between January and October 2018. Pacheco resigned from the council in June 2020 as part of his plea agreement.
Galvan, described as Pacheco's co-conspirator, admitted to paying Pacheco $70,000 in bribes in exchange for votes and support for commercial marijuana permits. Galvan also pleaded guilty to tax evasion, admitting he failed to report over $560,000 in income between 2017 and 2020, resulting in an estimated loss of $115,816 to the U.S. Treasury.
Baldwin Park began issuing permits for marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution in June 2017. Shortly after, Pacheco began soliciting bribes from business owners seeking these permits. He allegedly used his position to help secure permits for businesses like W&F International Corp. Galvan provided consulting services to W&F International and funneled $70,000 in bribes from the company's owner, Yichang Bai, to Pacheco. Bai was sentenced to 20 months in prison and fined $3,000 for conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.