Richard Meaney’s arraignment rescheduled to May 19th
Local developer Richard Meaney made his first initial court appearance at the Riverside Hall of Justice Friday morning, amid public corruption and bribery charges connected to the Scandal at City Hall in Palm Springs.
Watch: Richard Meaney arrives to court with his wife by his side
But, he was only in the courtroom for about three minutes as his arraignment was rescheduled to May 19, the same day his co-defendants are expected back in court.
Watch: Richard Meaney in front of the judge
He is one of three men facing charges, including developer John Wessman and former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet. Meaney arrived to court with his wife, Heidi, on Friday morning. He briefly met with his attorney, Peter Scalisi, who works out of Irvine, before driving away from the courthouse.
Read more about the Scandal at City Hall
The D.A.’s office has already made clear previously they planned to have all three men arraigned together on May 19.
According to John Hall, the public information officer for the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, “Most of the time it starts that way, because maybe we’ll have everyone arrested at the same time, or they surrender at the same time, so everyone ends up with the same date to begin with. And then we don’t have to put them together like this.” Hall said.
Watch: 12PM Live Report details Richard Meaney’s 1st court appearance
“In this particular case, that didn’t happen. So, it’s just best for everyone involved to keep it all on the same date,” Hall added.
KESQ I-Team Investigation looks at the Man in the Middle of the Scandal at City Hall Meaney is charged with nine counts of offering a bribe and one count of conspiring to bribe a public official. He and Wessman are accused by the District Attorney’s office of paying then Mayor Steve Pougnet $375,000 between 2012 and 2014. This was in exchange for favorable treatment and votes on development projects. If convicted on all charges, Meaney faces up to 12 years in state prison. Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 for the latest updates. Interactive Timeline of the Scandal at City Hall Check out more of today’s Top Stories
