The next hearing in the criminal trial against former Palm Springs mayor Steve Pougnet has been scheduled for December to allow his attorneys to review the mounds of evidence turned into the court by prosectors on Friday. That evidence: over 150,000 pages of federal evidence from the FBI investigation that included a raid on Palm Springs City Hall.
Via the Desert Sun:
John Hall, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, said the evidence handed over today was part of the FBI investigation that led to the criminal charges being filed against Pougnet in 2017. As the case moves closer to trial, all or some of the evidence documents will be made public.
Pougnet served as the mayor of Palm Springs from 2007 to 2015. he faces charges for allegedly receiving $375,000 in bribes from developers John Wessman and Richard Meaney as a public official, conspiracy to commit crime, and perjury. All of the alleged crimes are felonies.
Meaney’s attorney said that the defense lawyers had not yet reviewed the new evidence, he guessed it was bank records.
I am no expert, but that seems like a lot of pages to be just bank records. Guess we will find out soon enough.
All three of Pougnet, Wessman, and Meaney have pleaded not guilty.
