Compton : Delay in Bribe Case Ordered
The 2nd District Court of Appeal has ordered a delay in the bribery case against former Compton Community College Trustee Carl E. Robinson Sr., who was defeated in 1985 after accepting $500 from an accountant who had just won a contract with the college.
A three-judge panel directed Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel to halt proceedings until attorneys can argue whether Robinson’s felony charge should be reduced to an alleged misdemeanor violation of state election codes. A hearing before the appeals court is scheduled May 7, Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas Gray said.
Robinson, 51, was arrested in the parking lot of a Wilmington restaurant in March, 1985, after receiving the cash from West Covina accountant Rolland Boceta. The accountant, working with district attorney investigators, said Robinson had extracted the money as a bribe. But Robinson described it as a campaign contribution. When he ran for reelection that fall, Robinson was defeated by college Trustee James E. Carter. However, Robinson is also trying to get the results overturned.
“I just want the people to know that I’m still fighting and I’m innocent,” Robinson said this week.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
