Orange County court clerk pleads guilty to illegally fixing more than 1,000 DUI, traffic cases
SANTA ANA – A former Orange County Superior Court clerk pleaded guilty on Wednesday, March 29, to fixing more than 1,000 misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic offenses in exchange for bribe money over five years.
In all, he took in $250,000 to $500,000.
Jose Lopez Jr., 36, could face up to 20 years in federal prison when sentenced on Sept. 22, but prosecutors will ask for nine years behind bars under a plea agreement signed this month, said his attorney, Brian Gurwitz.
Standing next to his attorney on Wednesday, Lopez pleaded guilty to a federal racketeering charge for running a network that collected bribes from defendants to tweak 1,034 cases, including 69 misdemeanor DUI cases and 160 other misdemeanor charges.
Prosecutors said Lopez employed middlemen to collect bribe money, sometimes charging up to $8,000 per case.
Read more: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cases-747954-court-guilty.html
