"A Riverside County criminal grand jury has indicted the longtime mayor of Coachella on nine counts, including one felony charge of violating conflict of interest rules related to government contracts and four felony counts of perjury. Steven Hernandez, 42, who has served on the Coachella City Council for nearly two decades, pleaded not guilty Thursday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio."
"Hernandez was a rising politician in Riverside County and Coachella, an agricultural city of 42,500 people about 130 miles southeast of Los Angeles. If convicted as charged, Hernandez would be barred from public office for life and face more than seven years in state prison, according to Riverside County Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin. Hernandez was raised in Coachella by his grandparents, who were migrant farmworkers."
"He was first elected to the council in 2006, becoming an integral part of a powerful group of Latino politicians in the valley east of Palm Springs. Under his leadership, the city made major infrastructure investments in its downtown, including an expanded library, a new senior center and a new fire station. But Hernandez allegedly benefited from some of the votes he cast from the dais, catching the attention of the Riverside County District Attorney's office."
Riverside County prosecutors indicted Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez on nine counts, including one felony conflict of interest charge tied to government contracts and four felony perjury counts. Hernandez pleaded not guilty at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Prosecutors allege Hernandez used his public office to influence decisions in which he held a financial interest. If convicted on all counts, Hernandez faces more than seven years in state prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office. Hernandez served on the Coachella City Council since 2006 and led downtown infrastructure projects, including an expanded library, senior center and fire station.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]