Prosecutors filed a new round of charges Wednesday against San Bernardino County Supervisor Jerry Eaves, one of the most powerful and enduring politicians in the Inland Empire, accusing him of participating in a bribery scheme.
The charges mark another step in a corruption scandal that has rocked the halls of power in San Bernardino County for several years.
In a 37-page, 58-count indictment, the U.S. attorney's office charged that Eaves and W. Shepardson "Shep" McCook, an Orange County businessman, concocted a scheme that led to the construction of giant billboards at the intersection of the 10 and 215 freeways.
Eaves, 62, was already charged in a separate federal indictment with six counts of fraud, allegedly for depriving the public of its right to his honest services as a politician. The new indictment includes those charges and adds a series of new ones, primarily allegations that he used "interstate wires"--telephones--to commit bribery, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Andrew Cowan.
The indictment also charges McCook, 55, with eight counts of using mail or telephones to commit bribery, seven counts of wire fraud and 31 counts of money laundering.
Four people are listed in the indictment as "co-conspirators" but are not charged. They are: Allan Steward, 55, a Laguna Beach commercial real estate developer; Abe Beltran, 69, a former member of the Colton City Council; Donald Sanders, 44, another former city councilman in Colton; and James Hlawek, 55, former administrative officer in San Bernardino County.
Each of the four previously pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges. The men are scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Wednesday's indictment contends that McCook bribed public officials to gain approval for the construction of billboards, and then shared some of his $4.4 million in profit with government officials and businessmen.
The plan, prosecutors allege, began in 1992. According to the indictment, McCook gave Eaves, Eaves' relatives and Eaves' aides vacations at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. Eaves failed to disclose the gifts when he filed financial statements with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, the indictment charges.
In the mid-1990s, Eaves voted in favor of leasing San Bernardino County property to one of McCook's companies. Then, in 1997, Eaves voted for a proposal that allowed the Oakridge Corp., another McCook company, to sell five billboards for $4.4 million, prosecutors say.
