O.C.-Based Park Maintenance Chief Indicted

The Orange County-based maintenance chief for 11 state parks has been indicted along with two fellow employees in an alleged smog check scam that prosecutors say is unlike anything they have seen before.

The Riverside County Grand Jury delivered a 24-page felony indictment last week alleging that David V. Gallardo, chief of maintenance for the Orange Coast district of the state Department of Parks and Recreation, and department employees Gerald Galusha and Robert Davidson misappropriated about $5,897 in public funds intended to pay for smog checks for at least 50 state vehicles that apparently were never inspected.

The indictment, which caps a six-month investigation by the Riverside County district attorney’s office, the state Department of Justice and the state Bureau of Automotive Repair, also names four owners of two Riverside auto-repair shops. The indictment includes 42 felony counts against seven people.

Arrest warrants will probably be served this week, Riverside County Deputy Dist. Atty. Mark McDonald said Monday, adding that he has “never seen anything” like the case.

“Despite these recent indictments, my office’s investigation is not necessarily over,” he said.

The state employees could not be reached for comment.

According to the indictment, Gallardo trained Davidson in January, 1990, “in the practice of paying H&H; Smog in Riverside for smog checks on department vehicles which designedly would never be performed.”

The scam allegedly started while both Gallardo and Davidson were working for the Los Logos state park district in Riverside County, according to the indictment. The practice was allegedly later passed on to Galusha, who was hired in May, 1992, as the chief mechanic in the Los Logos district.

Gallardo was indicted on nine counts of misappropriation and one count of conspiracy involving about $3,165, according to the indictment.

The other two employees were indicted on conspiracy counts and multiple counts of misappropriation involving the remaining amount of about $2,732.

Bobby Dale Holquin and Albert Hall, owners of H&H; Smog and Tune-Up Center in Riverside, were indicted on conspiracy counts and multiple counts of computer fraud.

Richard Wright Sr. and Richard Wright Jr., owners of Rick’s Classic VW Repair in Riverside, were indicted on conspiracy counts and multiple counts of selling false smog certificates.