Former San Joaquin County Supervisor Indicted on Federal Corruption Charges

Former San Joaquin County Supervisor Lynn Bedford was indicted Thursday on federal corruption charges, including allegations that he took part in a conspiracy to commit extortion against an energy company.

The grand jury also issued additional charges against Monte McFall, a former San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputy and water board member facing mail fraud, attempted extortion and witness-tampering allegations.

On Thursday, the jury returned a 19-count superseding indictment accusing McFall and Bedford of conspiring to commit extortion against Calpine Corp., which bid to build a power plant at the Port of Stockton.

According to federal prosecutors, McFall and Bedford told Calpine in May 2001 to withdraw its bid to build the plant so that another company, Sunlaw Energy Corp., would get the project.

McFall, 56, threatened to drum up opposition to a Calpine project in Alameda County if the company didn’t pick another site in San Joaquin County for the plant, federal prosecutors said.

Sunlaw had agreed to pay McFall and his partners as much as $2 million as a commission for the project, prosecutors said.

After Calpine refused to withdraw, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors scolded Calpine officials and passed a resolution proposed by Bedford opposing the plant’s construction in Alameda County.

Bedford also is accused of lying to FBI agents about being unaware of any financial arrangement between McFall and Sunlaw and that McFall had not raised campaign money for him.