Moreno Seen on Tapes Allegedly Accepting Bribes

Federal prosecutors unveiled their strongest evidence yet in the public corruption trial of Santa Ana Councilman Ted Moreno, playing for jurors tapes of the official allegedly seeking and receiving bribes from a Santa Ana businessman.

Moreno can be heard asking for campaign funds from the businessman, an FBI informant who secretly recorded several of their conversations. Videotapes show Moreno, on four occasions, accepting thick envelopes stuffed with thousands of dollars from the informant, doing so warily at first but eventually joking about the money exchange.

In one video, Moreno tells the businessman, Vaskin Koshkerian, that he doesn’t need to count a stack of money. Moreno instead takes the envelope in his hand.

“Feels like um, two--five [$2,500],” Moreno says, prompting laughter from Koshkerian. Moreno later quips: “My hands know the weight.”

The councilman is accused of extorting a total of $31,000 from Koshkerian in exchange for his support in helping the businessman gain approval for a beer and wine license. Prosecutors allege Moreno used the money to fund the campaigns of political allies in an effort to gain control of the Santa Ana City Council.

Moreno Assails Informant

Moreno says that federal agents entrapped him, and that Koshkerian was a highly paid informant who pressured him into making the deals. He also asserts that Koshkerian is untrustworthy because he is an admitted tax evader and the subject of several business lawsuits.

The taping began shortly after Moreno allegedly approached Koshkerian in a city hall bathroom in 1996. With FBI agents always monitoring, Koshkerian and Moreno met numerous times over the next few months.

Moreno appears impressed by Koshkerian, a jovial man who claims to be worth $20 million to $25 million. Koshkerian, in turn, often heaps praise on Moreno, calling him a “smart cookie.”

They talk about arranging payments to the campaigns of various candidates. Frequently, Koshkerian seeks reassurance that the candidates will vote for his permit if they are elected. At one meeting, Moreno tells him it is crucial that Koshkerian give more to the candidates because election day is getting closer.

“The thing is to try and get them in there, so you can get what you want,” Moreno says on tape.

Throughout the relationship, however, Moreno often appears wary.

An FBI agent revealed in court that twice Moreno almost became aware of the undercover operation. Once, Moreno allegedly noticed an unfamiliar car in his neighborhood moments before a meeting with Koshkerian. The car contained FBI agents, who pretended to be house hunting, said the agent.

Another close call occurred when Moreno peered into a disguised, FBI surveillance van at Koshkerian’s gas station, which was used for recording the meetings inside his office.

On one audiotape, Moreno grills Koshkerian, asking him if he is an informant.

Koshkerian laughs at the suggestion, saying he “hates the police.”

“Do you think I’m crazy?” says Koshkerian. “I just need my beer and wine license, you son of a gun.”

“I don’t mean to insult you,” responds Moreno. “ . . . I just need to protect myself.”

Moreno’s attorney, Dean Steward, suggested that there may have been more tapes that the FBI was not aware of. Under cross examination, FBI agent Gary K. Morley said it was possible but unlikely that Koshkerian destroyed some of the recordings.

“I suppose that he could, but I’m confident that he didn’t,” said Morley.

Morley said the alleged payments to Moreno were spread out over several months to avoid the appearance of entrapment.

“We wanted to give Mr. Moreno the opportunity to back away from the deal,” he said.