IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Charges have been filed against seven former Beaumont officials.
The charges stem from a public corruption case in which nearly $43 million went missing from city coffers, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced in a statement released Tuesday.
Former City Manager Alan Kapanicas, former Economic Development Director David Dillon, former Public Works Director Deepak Moorjani, former Planning Director Ernest Egger, former Finance Director William Aylward, former City Attorney Joseph Aklufi and former Chief of Police Francis Dennis Coe Jr. were all charged.
Charges include embezzlement of public funds, misappropriation of public funds and conspiracy, with possible prison sentences ranging from 26 years to five years, according to the statement.
Besides possible jail time, anyone convicted would also be barred from holding public office again. Except for Egger, the remaining defendants are expected to be arraigned today, assuming they all remain in custody.
The defendants are alleged to have used their positions with the city to get work for their own companies. While working for Urban Logic Consultants, which was hired by the city, Dillon, Egger and Moorjani allegedly advised the city to issue new bonds. They then reportedly made payments to their own company with revenue generated from the bond sales, according to the statement.
The alleged scam began in the early 1990s, when the city hired Urban Logic Consultants to run its planning, economic development and public works departments, according to the statement.
