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We pulled this post from the March 9 Morning Report. Subscribe to the daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the stories our reporters are following.
A former top deputy in the County Assessor’s Office who pleaded guilty to a conflict-of-interest charge has been ordered to pay the county $344,000 in restitution and to complete 100 hours of volunteer work. He will also spend a year on probation.
The District Attorney’s Office last year accused 74-year-old Rolf Bishop, the assessor’s now-former chief information officer, of directing county contract work he oversaw to his wife’s company and approving invoices that followed.
Bishop initially pleaded guilty to a single felony charge, but Superior Court Judge Rachel Cano on Wednesday decided to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, a move that will lessen the impact on Bishop’s county pension payments and ostensibly make it easier for him to pay restitution. The District Attorney’s Office argued against the reduction.
The county is continuing to seek about $1.5 million from Bishop in a separate civil suit.
Should have been the same outcome for Toni Atkins over sponsorship of SB9. An incredible conflict of interest / self-enrichment bill due to her wife being a real estate development consultant and their household standing to profit first-hand from the bill. How that could not be a conflict of interest is beyond my comprehension.
America is a piñata right now. They are taking whatever they can because soon there will be no candy left and they’ll need big money to buy their way out of what’s coming.