Fresno Developer, Lobbyist Plead Guilty in Corruption Case
A prominent developer and a lobbyist have pleaded guilty in a wide-ranging political corruption probe that has snagged more than a dozen politicians and developers.
Developer John Bonadelle, 81, and James Logan, 74, were indicted more than a year ago on a range of racketeering, bribery, mail fraud and witness tampering charges.
On Tuesday, a week before trial, Bonadelle pleaded guilty to one felony count of mail fraud, and Logan pleaded guilty to a single felony count of witness tampering.
In exchange, the government agreed to drop the 10 remaining counts against Bonadelle and one other count against Logan.
Bonadelle faces nine months in a halfway house with a $300,000 fine while Logan faces three months in a halfway house, three months of home detention and a $5,000 fine.
Bonadelle’s lawyer, Christopher Wing, said his client saw the plea bargain as a business decision. He didn’t comment further.
The investigation, known as Operation Rezone, began five years ago after developer Bill Tatham Jr. told the FBI of an extortion attempt by then Clovis Councilman Leif Sorensen, who eventually pleaded guilty and served a 30-month prison term.
Since then, 12 others including politicians and developers have been convicted.
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