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Bribery trial against former mayor of Palm Springs could be postponed again

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The bribery trial of former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and real estate developer John Wessman could go ahead next month, more than nine years after FBI and local investigators raided City Hall.

But another hearing on the same day could instead lead to further delays in a case that has been going on for years.

A jury trial for Pougnet and Wessman is scheduled for September 23. This comes nearly a year after a previous jury trial scheduled for November 2023 had to be postponed, in part due to a family emergency involving one of the defense attorneys.

Since Pougnet and Wessman were first charged in 2017, the case has been stuck in constant delays.

It looked like a trial might finally happen in 2023. But in the spring of 2023, Richard Meaney, a second developer who was also charged with bribery and conspiracy, pleaded guilty to a minor conflict of interest charge. Although the confession document was sealed by the judge, there was speculation that Meaney might testify for the prosecution.

At that time, Pougnet and Wessman's lawyers requested a postponement on the grounds that more time for preparation was needed due to Meaney's admission.

Another trial scheduled for May of this year was also postponed. The transcript of an April hearing discussing the trial did not indicate why the postponement was necessary or why it was granted.

Since that hearing, there has been no activity in this case.

The September 23 hearing, scheduled for the same day as the trial, could now determine whether the defendants will be tried together and whether certain statements made outside of court can be used as evidence. But it could also be a reason to further delay the trial.

Attorneys for both defendants did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did a spokesman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Allegation of a conspiracy

Prosecutors allege that Meaney and Wessman gave Pougnet about $375,000 in exchange for assistance with real estate projects. The scheme, prosecutors say, began around 2010, when Pougnet was looking for additional income to qualify for re-election.

According to prosecutors, the first case of irregularities occurred in 2012 when Pougnet handled a city contract with Wessman Holdings LLC for a project at the foot of Tramway Road. Later that year, prosecutors say, Pougnet entered into a reimbursement plan with Wessman Holdings for the defunct Desert Fashion Plaza on Palm Canyon Drive. Pougnet is accused of receiving payments from Wessman for hotel consulting through Meaney's company, Union Abbey.

Prosecutors allege that Pougnet later agreed to sell a city-owned property on East Andreas Road to one of Meaney's companies at a below-market price, for which the then-mayor received a check for $75,000 for his efforts.

In 2015, about 75 federal and state investigators raided Palm Springs City Hall as part of an investigation into public corruption. It took more than a year for charges to be filed.

Pougnet faces 21 charges, including bribery, awarding government contracts in which he had a financial interest, perjury and conspiracy to commit a crime. Wessman Is is They are charged with 10 crimes, including nine counts of attempted bribery of an executive and a tenth count of conspiracy to commit a crime. Both have pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Sam Morgen covers Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at [email protected].

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