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Thursday, June 19-June 25, 2025
Jury acquits Palm Springs developer of conspiring in bribery scheme
VOL. 9, 11,
Motorist plows through Riverside protest, seriously injures woman By Joe Taglieri
By City News Service
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fter roughly a week of deliberations, a Banning jury Monday acquitted an 86-year-old real estate developer of conspiring in a scheme to enrich the one-time mayor of Palm Springs with six-figure bribes to cinch his support for projects. On Monday afternoon, jurors found John Wessman not guilty on nine counts of bribery of a public official and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony. The panel started deliberations on June 6 after three weeks of testimony. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz exonerated any remaining bond obligations. "Mr. Wessman is not guilty," defense attorney Elliot Peters told jurors in his closing statement. "What you heard was speculation, guesswork and the false testimony of Mr. (Richard Hugh) Meaney." The attorney characterized the witness as a "dishonest, manipulative person." Peters affirmed his client took appropriate steps and remained within the bounds of the law to get his projects approved by the Palm Springs City Council.
John Wessman. | Photo courtesy of John Wessman/Facebook
"Who picked the amounts and the dates (for financial transactions)? Meaney did," the attorney said. "He choreographed and was at the center of this." He asserted that Wessman was steeped in business affairs, deferring to Meaney to handle smaller details, including direct email correspondence with the mayor. The defense underscored how Wessman relied on creative financing to contend with impacts of
the Great Recession that started in 2008, seeking what amounted to a "public-private partnership" between Wessman Development Inc. and the city to move forward. The efforts led to Measure J being put before voters in 2011. It passed, resulting in $43 million in municipal bonds going to the developer's projects, which began in the winter of 2012. Deputy District Attorney Amy Zois told the jury
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joet@beaconmedianews.com Wessman had "acted with the intent to bribe." "This is ... about corruption and the public trust," Zois said. She reminded the jury of evidence confirming Wessman's signature on numerous checks issued against Wessman Development Inc. in 2012 and 2013. The money was part of the payoff scheme involving then-Mayor Steve Pougnet, the prosecutor said. "It's ridiculous to believe that a CEO wouldn't follow the major decisions of his own company," she said, dismissing the defendant's claims of ignorance about the flow of funds. Zois said the defendant and fellow developer Meaney, 59, conspired to favor Pougnet with highdollar rewards for gaining his support for the men's redevelopment projects between 2012 and 2014. All the felony charges against Meaney were dismissed over a year ago. However, he pleaded guilty to a reinstated misdemeanor count of financial conflict in a government contract. He testified for the prosecution See Bribery Page 28
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man and woman were in custody Monday in connection with a hitand-run through a crowd of protesters in downtown Riverside that critically injured a woman, police said. Riverside residents Russell Alan Prentice, 58, and 39-yearold Candase Wenzel were arrested following a Riverside Police Department investigation that began Saturday night after an SUV plowed through a crowd protesting Trump administration policies.
Both were booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, where Prentice is held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and hit-and-run causing injury, police said. Wenzel was booked on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact and destroying evidence linked to a crime. Prentice is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, while Wenzel is being held on $625,000 bail, according to published reports. "From the officers in
See Protest Page 13
No Kings activists protest Trump in Riverside County By City News Service
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ultiple demonstrations were taking place in Riverside County Saturday to protest the policies of the Trump administration in the nationwide "No Kings Day of Defiance" demonstrations. Protests were scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday at the
Walmart Supercenter on Second Street in Beaumont, Rimpau Park on East Ontario Avenue in Corona and the Duck Pond at Rancho California and Ynez roads in Temecula. Evening rallies were scheduled for 6 p.m. in Palm Springs Park at Belardo
See No Kings Page 28
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