Latest news with #DavidSanson
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area housing developers charged with bribery of elected official
The owners of a Bay Area housing development firm have been charged with offering a $10,000 bribe to an Antioch City Council member to try to win approval for a residential project. In an indictment unsealed Tuesday, David Sanson, 60, of Philipsburg, Mont., and his son, Trent Sanson, 33, of Walnut Creek, were accused of bribing the unnamed council member in June after a planning agency in the East Bay community opposed approval of the 533-unit Aviano housing development. The pair owned DeNova Homes, a Concord-based company with a 35-year history of building housing developments in cities across the Bay Area. Staff members of Antioch's Engineering and Development Services Division said the Sansons' company had not completed infrastructure work needed for the project. According to the indictment, the Sansons disagreed with that assessment and, after failing to convince the agency, contacted the council member. Prosecutors said Trent Sanson met with the council member on June 12 and said his father was willing to pay $10,000 to put the project on the council's agenda and win approval. According to the indictment, Trent Sanson told the council member on that day: 'You're not going to see anything directly, but Dave will be doing something for you.' He then told the council member that his father would likely give them $5,000 in cash and another $5,000 as a donation to a political action committee or as an independent expenditure, such as a campaign flyer. On June 20, David Sanson met with the council member and handed over a coffee mug that bore DeNova's insignia and contained $5,000 in cash, the indictment said. But before both meetings, the indictment said, the council member had contacted the FBI, which recorded the meetings on video. The Sansons have been charged with bribery and conspiracy, both felonies, and made their first appearances in federal court on Tuesday. 'Attempting to bribe a public official is a blatant attack on the integrity of our government and the trust of the communities we serve,' Sanjay Virmani, the FBI special agent in charge of the investigation, said in a statement announcing the indictment. In response, David Sanson's lawyer, Winston Chan, said, 'We are confident the facts will show that Dave is innocent, and that he was unfairly targeted without cause to be dragged out of near retirement from out-of-state, to be trapped into a web of deceit manufactured to 'take down' Dave and his family.' DeNova Homes said it was not implicated in the case and that David Sanson is no longer involved in the company's 'leadership or daily operations.' 'DeNova remains financially sound and fully focused on delivering for our customers, partners, and communities without disruption,' said its chief legal officer, Dana Tsubota. DeNova lists ongoing projects in Martinez, Livermore, Sonoma, Oakley, Rio Vista and Davis. The property developers also say that there are new communities of homes coming soon to Calistoga and Morgan Hill. DeNova Homes has previous projects across California, including in Santa Clara, Alameda, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Calaveras counties, as well as down the central coast and south into Orange County. The company has had the most projects in Contra Costa County, with 13 communities built there, including four in Antioch. The council members who served in June — then Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, Monica Wilson, Tamisha Torres-Walker, Michael Barbanica and Lori Ogorchock — could not immediately be reached for comment. Only Wilson and Torres-Walker are still on the council.
CBS News
23-04-2025
- CBS News
Bay Area property developers charged with trying to bribe a city councilmember
A pair of East Bay property developers are charged with trying to bribe an Antioch city councilmember for favorable treatment on a residential project, the Department of Justice said. David Sanson, 60, of Philipsburg, Montana, and Trent Sanson, 33, of Walnut Creek, face conspiracy and bribery charges, the DOJ said. David Sanson is the CEO of the Concord-based company, and his son is the vice president. They are accused of offering the councilmember $10,000 in one attempt and giving him a company travel mug filled with $5,000 in another attempt, the DOJ said. The bribery attempts were reported to the FBI by the councilmember. According to the DOJ, they were trying to get favorable treatment for one of their development projects, a 533-unit residential development named the Aviano project. Those attempts were made after the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division notified them that its public infrastructure improvement requirements were not completed, the DOJ said. The Department of Justice said two property developers stashed $5,000 in a travel mug in a bribery attempt. Department of Justice It led to the city not approving the release of bonds meant for the Aviano project. The DOJ said on May 29, 2024, Trent Sanson allegedly sent an iMessage to the councilmember saying he wanted to talk about issues the company was having with the city's "Engineering department." During a June 12, 2024, video-recorded call, Trent Sanson allegedly told the councilmember that his father was "willing to pay the councilmember $10,000" for them to vote in favor of releasing the bonds for phase 3 at Aviano, the DOJ said. During a second video-recorded meeting, David Sanson allegedly gave the councilmember $5,000 hidden in a travel coffee mug that had the company's logo on it. "Attempting to bribe a public official is a blatant attack on the integrity of our government and the trust of the communities we serve," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. "The allegations in this case reflect a clear attempt to manipulate the system for personal gain. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt public institutions through bribery or abuse of power." They face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. They will have a status conference in district court on June 12, 2025.
