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City Council Bribery Scandal Rocks Antioch
David Sanson, 60, and his son Trent Sanson, 33, both based in the East Bay, were charged with conspiracy and bribery in connection with offering to pay an Antioch City Councilmember $10,000 in exchange for favorable treatment for one of their development projects.
According to an indictment filed April 3, 2025, David Sanson is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of a home building and development company based in Concord, Calif., and Trent Sanson is the Vice President.
The indictment alleges that Trent Sanson contacted the Councilmember via iMessage on May 29, 2024, stating that he wanted to discuss issues with the Antioch “Engineering department” on a number of projects, including Phase 3 of the Aviano project.
A video-recorded meeting between the Councilmember and Trent Sanson took place on June 12, 2024, during which Trent Sanson allegedly stated that he wanted the Councilmember to place on the City Council agenda, and vote in favor of, “acceptance for Phase 3 at Aviano to release the completion and guarantee bonds . . . .”
Trent Sanson allegedly stated that David Sanson was willing to pay the Councilmember $10,000 in exchange for the requested actions. A second video-recorded meeting took place on June 20, 2024, at which David Sanson allegedly paid the Councilmember $5,000 in cash concealed in a travel coffee mug branded with the logo of the Sansons’ development company.
Both defendants made their initial appearances in federal court this morning and are next scheduled to appear in district court on June 12, 2025, for a status conference. The indictment charges each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(2).
The defendants are accused of attempting to bribe an Antioch City Councilmember to take favorable action on their real estate project and to evade having to make the public infrastructure improvements that the City required. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are working together to root out bribery and attempts to corrupt public office.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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