OXNARD : City Worker Denies Conflict of Interest
An Oxnard city employee accused of taking money from a developer to put that builder’s plans ahead of others pleaded not guilty Monday to five counts of criminal conflict of interest.
Milton Huertas, 40, did not appear in court. Instead, his attorney, David P. Callahan, entered the plea after a judge refused to throw out the indictment.
Callahan had argued that the indictment was vaguely worded and that his client did not understand the charges against him. But Municipal Judge Edward F. Brodie rejected that argument and scheduled a trial date in October.
Prosecutors allege that Huertas, who was a plan checker, was paid to ignore the city’s “first-come, first-served” approval process. He is also charged with approving plans that either he or his wife had drafted.
Huertas is still working for the city and collecting his salary of between $3,379 and $4,333 a month. City officials said Huertas is assigned to the Public Works Department and no longer is approving building plans.
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