Glendora : Guilty Pleas in College Thefts

A former diesel technology instructor at Citrus College has pleaded guilty to federal charges that he conspired to steal about $6.5 million in surplus government property.

Michael John Mahan, 54, of Huntington Beach admitted acquiring millions of dollars worth of cranes, forklifts, raw metals and vehicles donated by the government to colleges for educational purposes and then selling the machinery and materials for personal gain.

Mahan’s son, Michael John Mahan Jr., 30, also pleaded guilty to theft of government property. The guilty pleas came on the fourth day of their trial before U. S. District Judge Laughlin E. Waters in downtown Los Angeles.

Between May, 1991, and April, 1992, the Mahans obtained huge amounts of the surplus government property and stored it in several Los Angeles and San Diego locations, according to Assistant U. S. Atty. Spurgeon Smith.

The Mahans then sold the property and pocketed the money, Smith said.

More than 12 truckloads of heavy machinery and reams of documents were seized when federal agents executed search warrants at six locations, including Mahan’s Citrus College office in Glendora, in April, 1992.

The elder Mahan faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison and a $2-million fine when he is sentenced Jan. 8. His son faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.