Father-son developers accused of trying to bribe Antioch city councilmember
Developers accused of trying to bribe Antioch city council member
Two property developers are accused of trying to bribe an Antioch city council member.
ANTIOCH, Calif. - Two property developers – a father and son – are accused of trying to bribe an Antioch city council member.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday unsealed a two-count bribery indictment against 60-year-old David Sanson, and his 33-year-old son, Trent, who own DeNova Homes.
Federal prosecutors said that last year, the Sansons, offered $10,000 to an unnamed city counilmember, and then a company travel mug stuffed with $5,000 in cash, in exchange for favorable treatment for one of their development projects.
That councilmember, who wasn't named, reported the bribe to the FBI.
According to the indictment, David Sanson, 60, of Philipsburg, Mont., is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of a home building and development company based in Concord and his son, Trent Sanson, 33, of Walnut Creek, Calif., is the vice president.
The development company has a number of projects in Antioch and neighboring areas, including the Aviano project, a multi-phase 533-unit residential development.
Winston Chan, an attorney for David Sanson, told the East Bay Times that the charges are a "take down" attempt by "a controversial local politico, whose own suspect personal motivations we look forward to exposing."