2 Men Plead Not Guilty in Jail Bribery

An administrator in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and an independent food contractor pleaded not guilty Tuesday to bribery charges involving padded contracts for millions of dollars in jail food.

Fredrick Gaio, a high-ranking civilian employee in the Sheriff’s Department’s $20-million food operation, and food contractor Rick Hodgin were arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court on accusations that they participated in a pattern of corruption spanning at least two years.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Rosenthal said Hodgin paid Gaio bribes totaling more than $20,000, including $6,500 in cash and $14,000 in lease payments for a new Ford Taurus.

If convicted, Gaio could face six years in state prison and Hodgin could face four years. They are free on bail of $20,000 and $30,000, respectively.

Hodgin allegedly paid the bribes beginning in 1995 while working for a Florida-based company called Joy Food Service, which at the time was receiving millions of dollars in food contracts from the jail. When Hodgin later became director of sales for Lancaster-based Harvest Farms, that firm suddenly corralled much of the lucrative business, according to prosecutors.

Gaio, 52, and Hodgin, 41, were arrested late last month after a 15-month investigation by the Sheriff’s Department triggered by a series of articles in The Times.

Investigators said that despite indications of earlier problems, Gaio’s alleged wrongdoing went undetected because of serious lapses in management and oversight of food operations in the nation’s largest jail system.