SB Councilman Admits Guilt, Sentenced to County Jail, Says D.A.

San Bernardino City Councilman Chas A. Kelley was ordered to spend 90 days in county jail today after pleading guilty to one count of perjury before a San Bernardino Superior Court.

Kelley, 44, of San Bernardino, was accused of failing to disclose more than $74,000 monetary campaign contributions. He has resigned from office and has dropped out of the San Bernardino Mayoral race.

Below is the news release issued by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office (with only minor spelling changes):

The investigation, which led to the filing of charges and the subsequent conviction, was initiated by complaints San Bernardino County District Attorney investigators received in 2011.

After further investigation, the amount of under-reported monetary contributions Kelley failed to disclose was $74,222.76.

Following his guilty plea, Kelley made the following statement:

“I freely, voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently, admit that: From on or about January 31, 2007, through July 30, 2012, on numerous occasions, I committed perjury, by falsely stating as true the amount of money I was depositing to and withdrawing from my Friends of Chas Kelley campaign account, on the Fair Political Practices Commission Form 460 that I filed or caused to be filed for the reporting periods that occurred between July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2012, so I could hide the fact that I was using that money improperly for non-campaign related purposes.”

As a result of his guilty plea to perjury, Kelley has resigned from public office and is precluded from holding any future elected or appointed position.

“The citizens of this county expect and deserve that the officials they put into office are working in the best interests of the public, not their own,” District Attorney Michael Ramos said. “Let this be yet another warning that public corruption will not be tolerated in the county of San Bernardino.”

Deputy District Attorney Reza Sadeghi prosecuted this case. Sentencing is scheduled December 13, 2013, at 2:00 PM in Dept. S-17 of the San Bernardino Superior Court.