Developer, 2 Ex-Officials Plead Not Guilty in Corruption Case

A prominent developer and two former councilmen pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of political corruption.

A federal grand jury investigating corruption cases in Fresno and Clovis last month indicted developer John Bonadelle and former Fresno Councilmen Robert C. Lung and James W. Logan.

Bonadelle, 80, denied the allegations after Wednesday’s arraignment.

“Did I raise money for candidates that I believe in? Yes, I did. Was it legal? Sure it was,” he said.

Bonadelle is accused of illegally giving money to local government officials, including Lung and former Clovis Councilman Glynn L. Bryant, who pleaded guilty in 1996 to charges of illegally accepting money from another developer.

Bonadelle is also accused of trying to persuade suspects named in earlier indictments not to give information to authorities.

Lung was charged with accepting money from developers, including Bonadelle, in exchange for favorable votes during his single four-year term that ended in 1996.

Logan, who served on the council in the 1970s, is accused of illegally giving Bryant money on behalf of Bonadelle, and witness tampering.

Three former Clovis council members and five developers either have been convicted or have pleaded guilty to various charges related to the federal investigation.