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SAN BERNARDINO - A former city councilwoman and her grandson pleaded guilty
Wednesday in Superior Court to receiving cash bribes from a local developer
in exchange for voting in favor of his projects.
Valerie Pope-Ludlam, 72, and her grandson, Michael Beauregard, 34, both of
San Bernardino, entered their pleas before Judge Douglas Fettel, said Deputy
Attorney General Angela K. Rosenau.
In a plea agreement with state prosecutors, Pope-Ludlam pleaded guilty to
one count of receiving a bribe, and Beauregard pleaded guilty to three
counts of receiving a bribe. Both agreed to pay $51,200 in restitution by
the time of their sentencing on March 30 in exchange for probation.
If the pair do not make the payment on time, the court will decide what
action to take. Pope-Ludlam faces a maximum sentence of three years in
prison and Beauregard four years, Rosenau said.
Pope-Ludlam, 72, said Wednesday in a telephone interview that she plans to
pay the fine and is confident she'll be granted probation, which would, if
granted, be for five years, according to the plea bargain.
"I tell you. It was a big mistake running for office,' she said of her
decision to run for City Council.
She said she has been enduring the hardships her decisions have caused over
the last several years.
"It's just one of those things you live with,' she said. "I'm 72 years old.
I just take things as they come.'
Pope-Ludlam and Beauregard were slapped with a 31-count felony complaint by
the state Attorney General's Office on April 4, 2003, alleging that Pope-Ludlam,
who was on the council from 1987 to 1996, accepted more than $51,000 in
bribes from developer Allan Steward between June 1994 and February 1996.
The complaint also alleged that Beauregard helped facilitate the bribery by
accepting payments from Steward and funneling that money to Pope-Ludlam.
Former Councilman Edward Negrete, 70, and his wife Yolanda, 70, were also
accused of taking bribes from Steward. They pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2003,
to bribery and agreed to pay the city $8,057. On June 10, San Bernardino
Superior Court Judge Keith Davis ordered the couple to pay the city an
additional $50,222 to settle a civil lawsuit.
Negrete served on the City Council from 1993 to 1998, and during his tenure
received numerous checks in the sums of about $500 each from Steward. The
checks were made out to Yolanda Negrete to throw off suspicion. Between
April 21, 1993, and June 10, 1997, the Negretes received $10,478.06 from
Steward, court records show.
Wednesday's development was the latest in the criminal saga of Pope-Ludlam.
In October 2000, she was sentenced to three years of probation after
pleading guilty to perjury for forging signatures and addresses on a
petition in 1997 in an attempt to recall then-6th Ward Councilwoman Betty
Dean Anderson.
Pope-Ludlam's attorney, Byron "Ed' Congdon, said Wednesday of his client's
plea, "This was a difficult decision for Ms. Ludlam. Her grandson was also a
codefendant in the case, and it's certainly been very difficult.'
He declined further comment.
Beauregard and his Redlands attorney, Gregory Waitman, couldn't be reached
for comment.
City Attorney James Penman said the bribery allegations against Pope-Ludlam,
Negrete and two other council members spurred animosity between those
council members and his office.
Penman said it was his office, then-District Attorney Dennis Kottmeier, and
the San Bernardino Police Department that turned the bribery evidence that
ultimately led to the establishment of a task force to investigate
corruption at the city and county levels.
"I'm just pleased to see that justice has finally been done after nine
years,' Penman said. "The importance of it is it sends a message to current
elected officials and future elected officials that they're going to be held
accountable for their actions.' |
