Two of Three Cudahy Officials Charged in Corruption Case to Plead Guilty

CUDAHY (CNS) - Two former Cudahy city officials agreed today to plead
guilty to federal corruption charges, prosecutors said.

Ex-Mayor David Silva and former City Manager Angel Perales will both
plead guilty to one count each of bribery and extortion, according to plea
agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court. The bribery charge carries a
possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Silva, Perales and City Councilman Osvaldo Conde were charged in a
criminal complaint unsealed last month, accusing them of demanding and
accepting a total of $17,000 in bribes to approve the opening of a marijuana
dispensary in Cudahy, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph N. Akrotirianakis said.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the charges, the three men
took the cash from a marijuana dispensary owner, who was working as an FBI
informant.

The 143-page affidavit states that a series of recorded conversations
show the city officials explaining that the Cudahy City Council planned to
approve only one or two permits for medical marijuana dispensaries in Cudahy.

According to the affidavit, Perales sought to broker an arrangement
between the FBI informant and city officials in which the informant would make
cash payments in exchange for the officials supporting a request for one of the
permits.

Perales explained to the informant that there are ``three parts to this
game'' -- Conde, Silva and himself, according to the affidavit.

Perales also allegedly told the informant that Conde and Silva ``are not
your typical'' city officials. They've ``dealt with, uh, you know, people
that throw money down,'' Perales said, according to the affidavit.

Prior to a meeting with Conde and Silva at a Pico Rivera restaurant,
Perales instructed the informant how he should broach the topic of paying the
bribes, and later instructed the informant on how to present the bribes,
specifying that the payments should be in cash only, according to the
affidavit.