CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI)-- Former
Chula Vista City Councilmember Andrea Cardenas and her sibling, who are facing multiple felony counts, altered their pleas for two of the charges to guilty in court on Wednesday after reaching handle district attorneys.
The amended plea uses to the grand theft charges brought versus the two for unlawfully obtaining cash from the federal and state federal government in 2020, consisting of through the Paycheck Protection Program assistance and welfare.
The other 6 charges against Cardenas and her sibling, Jesus, will be dismissed, their counsel Pedro Bernal informed FOX 5 after the hearing.
Cardenas will be sentenced in August. With the plea offer, she may have the ability to bring the charges down from a felony to a misdemeanor, reducing her jail time. The previous city councilmember faces an optimal sentence of 3 years and eight months behind bars.
Cardenas' bro is arranged to be sentenced in March. According to prosecutors, the agreement Jesus reached resembles Cardenas', however they state his sentence might look various. Information stay uncertain at this time.
According to DA, nevertheless, both will be required to pay restitution as part of their plea arrangement.
Cardenas' lawyer Pedro Bernal informed FOX 5 after the hearing that she is remorseful for her conduct over the last few years, however says it "does not take away from the service she's offered to her community."
The DA's workplace brought the charges against the Cardenas siblings last November for fraudulently getting thousands of dollars of funds from COVID-era support programs through their personal political consulting firm, Grassroots Resources.
According to the indictment, the two gotten the funds, which were designed to help small companies keep employees on their payroll, for their firm by utilizing the staff member and other service information from a Barrio Logan cannabis dispensary, Harbor Collective.
District attorneys stated these funds were utilized to pay credit card costs and move money into business accounts. A part of the money was likewise utilized in Cardenas' project for
Chula Vista City Council.
Cardenas was also accused of acquiring unemployment benefits from California's Employment Development Department after applying under incorrect pretenses. According to prosecutors, she collected the advantages while campaigning for the District 4 seat, as well as after she was chosen.
An extra grand theft charge was brought by the DA's workplace last week, simply one day following her resignation from the city council.
" Based on the charges and what they plead to, it shows that both Jesus and Andrea Cardenas participated in 2 various fraud plans," Deputy District Attorney Chandelle Boyce said. "Anyone who is holding public office, the general public relies on them to be able to trust them to understand that they are dealing with public money properly and are upright and sincere."
Comments
Leave a Reply