Moreno Valley Mayor Pro Tem resigns after being arrested
Moreno Valley Mayor Pro Tem Marcelo Co resignedtoday, a day after being arrested and charged in a fraud case.
Co, 64, faces eight felony counts — including making false claims,fraud to obtain aid and grand theft exceeding $400 — for allegedly improperlycollecting income from a state program that provided funds for the in-home careof his mother, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
He posted a $15,000 bond on Monday and is expected to be arraignedWednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice, according to jail records.
Co, who has represented Moreno Valley’s southern end since his electionin November 2010, submitted a resignation letter dated Aug. 11 to Mayor TomOwings.
“The council respects Mr. Co’s decision, and we will work collectivelyto assist residents and businesses in that area of the city during this interimperiod,” Owings said in a written statement.
The criminal case against Co involves the In-Home Supportive Servicesprogram, said John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Co is suspected of improperly collecting nearly $15,000 in state funds,Hall said.
“Co is listed in that program as a provider for his mother andtherefore (he) collected IHSS income for her care,” Hall told City NewsService. “It is alleged that it would have been impossible for Co to providecare to his mother during certain periods of time because she was not in theUnited States while, during those periods of time, he was in the U.S.”
Co was already the focus of an investigation by a regional corruptiontask force, which searched his home and those of four other council members onApril 30. The investigation led to a recall effort against Co and other councilmembers, according to The Press-Enterprise.
Hall said Monday’s arrest was “entirely separate from any otherinvestigation involving Mr. Co.”
The Moreno Valley City Council will hold a public discussion aboutfilling Co’s Fourth District seat — his term would have run through November2014 — at a future meeting. The council has up to 60 days to make an interimappointment or call a special election.
