Wright faces two federal charges: bribery of programs receiving federal funds and attempted arson of a building affecting interstate commerce.
ADELANTO — Mayor Pro Tem Jermaine Wright faces federal charges he solicited and accepted a $10,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent in exchange for using his political influence to assist and shield a supposed commercial marijuana transportation business, the Daily Press has learned.
Wright, 41, is also accused of seeking the aid of an FBI informant to burn down his restaurant, Fat Boyz Grill, in order to collect $300,000 in insurance money, according to a sworn affidavit obtained by this newspaper.
Arrested Tuesday, Wright is expected to appear in a federal court in Riverside on Wednesday, but is not anticipated to enter a plea, Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, told the Daily Press.
Wright faces two federal charges: bribery of programs receiving federal funds and attempted arson of a building affecting interstate commerce.
As FBI pressure intensified, so did Adelanto mayor pro tem’s desperation
November 8, 2017
The bribery charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to Mrozek, while the attempted arson charge yields a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and statutory maximum sentence of 20 years.
Mayor Rich Kerr initially offered a tempered response, saying the city would not immediately presume Wright had done anything wrong, but he also hinted at a far stronger reaction.
“It’s still in its infancy stage. Until we get more information, we’re going to sit tight and listen to the authorities,” Kerr said by phone, then: “We will take decisive action, probably tomorrow sometime.”
The criminal complaint and Wright’s arrest stem from an official FBI probe, launched in June, into public corruption in the city.
“This is part of an ongoing investigation,” Mrozek said by phone.
Earlier this year, federal agents received information that Wright “may have received bribe payments in return for official acts,” according to the affidavit. “The official acts allegedly concerned rezoning of land for use in the developing medical marijuana industry in Adelanto.”
Conversations between Wright, who at times was under surveillance, and an undercover agent and FBI informant were either recorded or reported by those involved in the probe.
It started on June 15, when an informant introduced an undercover agent to Wright at his restaurant, located in the 11600 block of Rancho Road. The operative told Wright he was interested in purchasing commercial property outside of the marijuana cultivation zone, at a reduced price, and then seeking to have the Council re-zone the land in question for cannabis use in order to bolster its value.
Wright allegedly responded that his vote must be purchased in a cash donation through a person who Wright identified, but who was not named in the affidavit. It was the first time of several in which Wright and the undercover agent would talk bribes, according to the FBI.
Ultimately, the two would come to terms on a deal that Wright allegedly vowed would be accompanied by his assistance on accommodating the bogus business on future zone expansions and protection from code enforcement.
The agent “then placed $10,000 dollars on a box being used as a table, made up of two stacks of $50 bills, and told Wright, ‘that’s for you, or your non-profit, whatever,’” according to the affidavit. “Wright responded, ‘my non-profit, yes sir, thank you sir.’ Wright eventually placed the $10,000 in his pocket.”
Wright also allegedly sought a “stack” from the operative for each occasion he were to curtail code enforcement.
The mayor pro tem left the meeting location with the bribe and drove directly back to his restaurant, the FBI said.
Then in August, the FBI informant told agents that Wright had suggested a ploy: Get someone to burn down Fat Boyz Grill in order to collect on $300,000 in insurance money.
The incident would, of course, have to appear to be an accident so Wright requested it be made to look like there had been an electrical problem, the FBI said.
Wright was also allegedly willing to pay for such a service.
A second undercover agent, acting as the “electrician” — Wright’s purported nickname for the arsonist-for-hire — met with Wright and was escorted around the mayor pro tem’s restaurant building, which had three suites, two of which were under his control, according to the affidavit.
During this tour, the FBI said the mayor pro tem made notes of the sprinkler system, electrical outlets and the fire station down the street.
“From the time (the fire) starts to the time they get here, it’s probably about five minutes,” he said, according to the affidavit.
The undercover agent agreed to perform the job, telling Wright it would cost $1,500. Three days later, on Oct. 6, Wright proved he was serious, flashing a black wristband with a small zipper. The band, the FBI said, contained $1,500. The operative told Wright the job required another week to which the policymaker responded: ”(Expletive), I don’t have no excuse to be gone next week.”
After securing a federal search warrant, two FBI agents visited Wright on Oct. 17 at his restaurant, where Wright purportedly confessed to the arson plot and “agreed to cooperate with the FBI’s investigation into corruption in the city of Adelanto.”
Wright also denied ever taking a bribe. But he did believe the second undercover agent, who he understood to have told the FBI about the arson plot, was likely the “snitch.”
It was the notion of a canary in the midst, according to the affidavit, which then sparked a seemingly threatening demand from Wright to an informant: “Whatever you do, don’t come back to you, and doesn’t come back to me, and I don’t give a (expletive) what happens. I really don’t, but this (expletive) needs to be cleaned up.”