Former Nevada nonprofit director sentenced in bribery scheme

A erstwhile manager of a Nevada nonprofit dealing with distressed lodging was sentenced to a twelvemonth and a time successful national situation successful a bribery case, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Sergio Barajas, a 54-year-old from Chino Hills, California, volition besides service 3 years of national supervision aft his situation condemnation and 1,000 hours of assemblage service.

Prosecutors said Barajas, a erstwhile manager of assemblage improvement for the National Community Stabilization Trust, took successful much than $380,000 successful bribes for hundreds of amerciable spot deals successful Nevada, Arizona and California from 2011 to 2014.

The National Community Stabilization Trust, a Nevada nonprofit formed successful 2008 successful effect to the nationalist foreclosure crisis, works to reconstruct vacant properties and demolish unsafe properties, according to its website.

Barajas was described by prosecutors successful a sentencing memorandum arsenic “the astir culpable idiosyncratic successful a three-year sprawling bribery strategy that progressive a federally funded programme intended to assistance America retrieve from 1 of its worst fiscal crises.” He’s expected to surrender to situation successful aboriginal January.

Another suspect successful the case, Alan Cassell of Chula Vista, California, pleaded blameworthy successful March arsenic portion of a radical plea agreement, according to tribunal records.

In June, Cassell was sentenced to 2 years’ probation. Charges were dismissed against 5 others.

Contact Dylan Svoboda astatine dsvoboda@reviewjournal.com. Follow @dylanksvoboda connected Twitter.