2 Former Officials Admit Taking Bribes

Two former San Bernardino County officials pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to charges of conspiring to accept bribes.

Thomas O’Donnell, 57, the county’s former tax collector-treasurer, and Sol Levin, 67, the county’s former investment officer, face up to five years in prison when they are sentenced in March.

They are among four former public officials and three businessmen who agreed to plead guilty earlier this month in a bribery scandal involving the award of millions of dollars in county contracts.

O’Donnell, Levin and James J. Hlawek, 53, the county’s former chief administrative officer and the central figure in the scandal, were accused of taking bribes from a financial consultant in exchange for awarding him lucrative government contracts.

Consultant Richard Tisdale, 60, who was also charged in the case, paid $4,000 to each of the three men and picked up the tab for a trip they took to London in 1997, according to court records.

In return, Tisdale’s firm, Business Consultants Inc., received a series of contracts for services to the county valued at more than $372,000. They included advising the county on employee benefit plans and a study of court fee collections.

Also expected to plead guilty over the next few weeks are Harry M. Mays, 60, Hlawek’s predecessor as chief administrative officer; Kenneth J. Walsh, 52, a vice president of Norcal Waste Systems Inc., which operates dump sites for the county; and Ronald Canham, 51, a management consultant.

In a bid for leniency, all seven signed plea agreements admitting guilt.