The former mayor of Adelanto, California was sentenced on Friday to 14 months in federal prison for taking bribes from cannabis interests, the Los Angeles Times reports. Richard Kerr. 66, was charged in 2021 for taking more than $57,000 in bribes and kickbacks while mayor for approving ordinances and securing permits for cannabis-related businesses.
Kerr was voted out of office in 2018 after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided his home as part of the corruption probe. He was first elected in 2014.
In February, Kerr pleaded guilty to one count involving wire fraud. According to his plea agreement, the illegal payments from Kerr’s “co-schemers” – described as an attorney and various business people – were disguised as donations to a charity fund or to his election campaign, the report says.
U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb imposed a lighter sentence than the 46 months sought by prosecutors. Holcomb said he took into account Kerr’s age, health, his service as a U.S. Marine, and family obligations in his sentencing.
The judge ordered Kerr to surrender to federal custody in November to begin serving his sentence.
Last year, a jury convicted Jermaine Wright, Adelanto’s former mayor pro tem, of taking a $10,000 bribe from an FBI agent posing as a cannabis entrepreneur. Wright was sentenced to five years in prison.
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