Robinson, Compton College Trustee, Faces Bribery Trial
Carl E. Robinson Sr., president of the Compton Community College trustees and a two-time Carson City Council candidate, is to be arraigned in Superior Court Sept. 12 on a charge of soliciting a $500 political bribe.
Municipal Judge Edward L. Davenport on Wednesday held Robinson to answer on the single felony charge of soliciting a bribe. Prosecutors presented testimony from two witnesses in the 40-minute preliminary hearing at the downtown Criminal Courts Building. A trial date will be set at the arraignment.
The 50-year-old Robinson, who is free on $3,000 bail, has steadfastly denied the allegation.
On March 21, he was arrested in the parking lot of a Wilmington restaurant after accepting $500 from a West Covina accountant who had previously won a college contract that Robinson voted to approve. The accountant, Rolland Boceta, had alerted district attorney investigators, who tape-recorded his conversations with Robinson and ultimately made the arrest.
Robinson acknowledges receiving the cash, but he said it was a campaign contribution rather than a bribe. Robinson is up for reelection to his college trustee post in November and is opposed by James E. Carter, a systems technician.
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