Former Vallejo City Employee Pleads Guilty To Bribery

SOLANO COUNTY, CA -- A former city of Vallejo employee pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to soliciting a bribe as an agent of a program receiving federal funds, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento said. Donald Burton, 51, of Vallejo faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Nov. 7 by U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said.

Burton worked as a landscape manager in the Vallejo Public Works Engineering Division and regularly contracted with local landscape companies doing business with the city of Vallejo.

Vallejo received substantial federal funding, including more than $500,000 in Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Burton solicited a 10-percent kickback last spring in exchange for steering contracts to the owner of a maintenance company, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The company's owner contacted the FBI in March and met undercover with Burton during meetings in April and May. During the meetings, Burton directed the business owner to add five extra workdays to a 10-day contract so he and the business owner could share the profit, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Burton said the excess workdays in the contracts generally came to $5,000, and he agreed to take $2,000, according to the prosecution.

Burton was arrested on June 7 when he took the $2,000 payment from the undercover maintenance company.

• PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Vallejo City Employee Arrested On Bribery Allegations

By Bay City News Service

Image via Shutterstock