Prosecutor: Developer accused of bribing ex-Palm Springs mayor didn’t ‘follow the rules’

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - Opening statements began in the trial of a real estate developer accused of providing six-figure bribes to former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet, who pleaded guilty last week to a slate of felony charges connected to his support for the defendant's projects.

John Elroy Wessman, 86, is charged with nine counts of bribery of a public official and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony.   

After several days of jury selection at the Banning Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz on Friday swore in a panel to hear the prosecution's case against Wessman, who is free on his own recognizance.

During a court conference Wednesday, Pougnet, 62, admitted nine counts of bribery by a public official, eight counts of illicit financial interest in public contracts and one count of conspiracy, as well as no contest to three perjury counts. The plea was directly to the court, without negotiations between the defense and the District Attorney's Office.   

Prosecutors objected to the plea because "the defendant took advantage of the public trust,'' the D.A.'s office said in a statement. Pougnet, who is also free on his own recognizance, is slated for sentencing on July 2 and is expected to receive probation.   

He, Wessman and 59-year-old Richard Hugh Meaney were criminally charged, for the first time, in 2017 and later indicted by a grand jury.   

All the felony charges against Meaney were later dismissed. However, he pleaded guilty to a reinstated misdemeanor count of financial conflict in a government contract. Meaney is free and due for sentencing in June.   

The case, which began as a federal corruption probe until it was turned over to county investigators in 2016, has been plagued by repeated delays, some resulting from ongoing challenges by the defense to the indictment, as well as the COVID lockdowns, Pougnet's relocation to another state, changes to legal counsel and related complications.   

A trial judge in December 2020 dismissed all counts against Wessman, characterizing them as baseless, but the charges were reinstated by the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Riverside less than two years later.   

Pougnet served two terms as mayor, leaving office in 2015.   

The influence-buying scheme that prosecutors say the men were involved in netted Pougnet close to $400,000 between 2012 and 2014, securing his public support for projects brought before the Palm Springs City Council, specifically The Dakota, the Desert Fashion Plaza, The Morrison and Vivante.

Payments to Pougnet were drawn directly from accounts maintained by Meaney's Union Abbey Co. and Wessman Development Inc., according to the prosecution.

Deputy District Attorney Amy Barajas told the grand jury in 2019 Pougnet planned to move to Colorado to join his husband and two children when his first term ended in 2011, but the two developers allegedly put him "on their payroll" in order to gain his votes of confidence in their projects.

"This is a case about political corruption in Palm Springs,'' Barajas said. "What kind of corruption? Well, one of the oldest stories in the book. Some wealthy real estate developers get a politician on their payroll, and in exchange they get favorable treatment, inside access and large contracts."   

She said Pougnet was hesitant about remaining for a second term as mayor. The grand jury was shown an email exchange from May 30, 2011, between him and Meaney, in which the latter wrote, "Everything is in place. The big question from everyone is ... what are your plans?"  

Pougnet's response indicated their relationship hinged on the defendant securing something in return.

"I need to know that an offer is very real, that I am an employee somewhere that has a letter `of employment,''' Pougnet wrote. "That will make a decision much easier. As you know, a month ago, this was not even an option on the table with me and Christopher. Staying (in Palm Springs) has huge family implications considering I would be going back and forth."

The then-mayor accepted $225,000 as an initial incentive to remain active in local government, according to prosecutors.