Will Wessman Development projects move forward following corruption charges?
UPDATE: 6:30 p.m.
It’s been one week since the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office filed bribery and perjury charges against former Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet, and developers Richard Meaney and John Wessman.
Since the announcement, all three men have surrendered, posted bail and are waiting to appear in court.
Current city leaders, including City Council Member J.R. Roberts, also gave an endorsement to continuing to work with Wessman’s son-in-law Michael Braun, who took over the company after Wessman retired following the filing of the charges.
Roberts said his message is about the city moving forward with Braun.
“The city has been under a black cloud for the last 17, 18 months,” Roberts said. “It’s time to let the sun shine through again. We can’t let the potential crimes between three people define who we are, and set our paths, and our new direction.”
But others like Palm Springs resident Judy Deertrack said she believes the decision to continue with Braun was premature, with investigations still open, and Braun listed in the D.A. Office’s complaint.
“You have at least two agencies that have not come forward,” Deertrack said. “That is the California State Attorney General’s Office, and the FBI. You also have the possibility of un-indicted co-conspirators. Those are people who knew, or should have known about an influence scheme.”
The complaint filed by the D.A.’s Office last week lists Braun twice. One occasion claimed Braun received an invoice from Richard Meaney for about $26,000, and another occasion claimed email correspondence between Bruan and Meaney about Pougnet’s involvement behind the scenes of a project.
In a previous statement, Braun said he and others at Wessman Holdings and Wessman Development are committed to completing all projects, and the action by the county will not delay or impact Wessman’s ongoing progress.
To read the full statement, click on the link in the earlier version of this story below.
We reached out to Braun again Thursday to ask specific questions regarding the complaint, but we have not heard back from him.
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ORIGINAL STORY: 5:43 p.m.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2’s Zak Dahlheimer is going in-depth as we investigate whether or not future Wessman Development projects will be moving forward in the wake of public corruption charges filed against John Wessman by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
Wessman Holdings have been behind developments in cities across the Coachella Valley for decades — particularly Palm Springs. After the charges were filed last week, and John Wessman retired following the announcement, Wessman’s son-in-law Michael Braun was named as head of the company.
Following the appointment, Palm Springs city leaders gave Braun a vote of confidence, wanting to move forward with current developments. But some residents say they’re not for the move.
In a previous statement, Braun said he and others at Wessman Holdings and Wessman Development are committed to completing all projects — and the action by the county will not delay or impact Wessman’s ongoing progress.
Interactive Timeline: public corruption charges filed over Scandal at City Hall
KESQ and CBS Local 2 reached out to Braun on Thursday to ask specific questions regarding the complaint, but we haven’t heard back from him yet. We also reached out to others including Chris Pardo, who’s working on a project with Wessman Holdings, and we haven’t heard back from him yet either.
We’ll continue to track the progress of the potential developments as the Riverside County District Attorney’s case moves forward in court.
