An ex-councilman in California will plead guilty to bribery Tuesday, after he accepted $2.3 million in a land scheme that some say was the largest bribe ever accepted by a U.S. politician in a sting operation.
Former Moreno Valley City Councilman Marcelo Co, has agreed to plead guilty on a count of bribery and filing a false tax return, according to court documents obtained by the Associated Press.
The 64-year-old politician reportedly promised an undercover FBI agent who Co thought was a real estate broker that he could manipulate a voting majority of the council to sway decisions concerning land use. Records stated that Co and the undercover agent reached an agreement to sell a 30-acre parcel he owned for $5.3 million, despite the fact that the land was appraised at a value of $710,000. But Co insisted that the zoning laws would change, and that the parcel's value would shoot up by 500 percent.
During a January meeting, Co and the FBI agent met and settled on filing public documents that would show a $3 million price tag for Co's land. The former councilmember then pocketed the $2.3 million extra in cash.
"Mr. Co orchestrated an elaborate and brazen scheme to undermine the democratic process in Moreno Valley," U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte, Jr. told AP. "Whether he was motivated by power or greed, these crimes constitute a wholesale violation of his oath to work for the citizens who elected him."
Spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office Thom Mrozek told AP that this bribe is thought to be the biggest a member of government has ever taken during an undercover sting.
Co could receive a prison sentencing of up to 13 years if he's found guilty. He's scheduled to appear in court next month.
Elected to the council in November 2010, Co resigned from his position in August after he was charged on a different case concerning welfare fraud.
