San Luis Obispo-based real estate developer arrested for bribing County Supervisor
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced on Monday, that Ryan Wright, an executive at a San Luis Obispo-based real estate company, was arrested on a federal grand jury indictment alleging he paid a SLO County Supervisor $95,000 in bribes and gifts.
Wright, also known as 'Ryan Petetit', of Grover Beach was arrested Monday morning on a three-count indictment charging him with conspiracy, falsification of records, and obstruction of justice detail the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to the DOJ, Wright is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Monday afternoon.
The indictment unsealed on Monday alleges that from at least June of 2014 and May of 2017, Wright conspired with his business partner, identified as 'Co-Conspirator 1', to bribe an elected official, identified as 'County Supervisor 1', with money and gifts totaling over $95,000.
The bribes were given to County Supervisor 1 in exchange for advocating for Wright's real estate development companies' current and future projects with the City of San Luis Obispo and voting for Wright's companies' projects with the County of San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors detail the DOJ.
According to the DOJ, Wright, Co-Conspirator 1, and County Supervisor 1 then covered up the bribes by using County Supervisor 1's consulting company to funnel and conceal the payments.
County Supervisor 1 then provided false information on his 2015 and 2016 annual state conflict of interest disclosure forms requiring him to report income received provide the DOJ in a press release.
The indictment further alleges that through County Supervisor 1's consulting company, Wright directed payments and flew him on a jet to watch a Major League Baseball playoff game hosted by the San Francisco Giants, County Supervisor 1's favorite team.
According to the DOJ, Wright allegedly caused his company to provide falsified records in response to a federal grand jury subpoena.
If convicted of all charges, Wright faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count, a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison for the obstruction of justice charge, and up to 20 years in federal prison for the falsification of records detail the DOJ.
