Paul Ben Arredondo, Bribery & Mail Fraud, Arizona 2012

WASHINGTON – In a shocking turn of events, Arizona State Representative Paul Ben Arredondo pleaded guilty to bribery and mail fraud, admitting that he solicited and took a bribe in exchange for promises of official action both as a city council member and a state representative.

Arredondo, 65, of Tempe, Arizona, was a Tempe city council member for approximately 16 years, until July 2010. In November 2010, Arredondo was elected to the House of Representatives of the Arizona State Legislature.

During his plea, Arredondo admitted that from February 2009 to November 2010, he solicited and accepted things of value, collectively a bribe, from representatives of ‘Company A,’ a fictitious company operated by FBI undercover agents that was purportedly seeking to develop real estate projects in Tempe.

Arredondo took the bribe with the intent to be influenced in the performance of his official duties, first as a council member and later as an elected member of the Arizona House of Representatives. He admitted that the things he took included tickets to college and professional sporting events, some of which he caused to be mailed to his home, and tables at charity events with his choice of guests.

In exchange for the bribe, Arredondo agreed to take a number of official actions, including revealing confidential information to Company A – such as the price Tempe would be willing to accept for property and the best way to present a purchase proposal. He also agreed to use his position as a council member to influence the decisions of other Tempe officials in ways that were favorable to Company A; to contact various Tempe officials to facilitate and promote the company’s efforts to win support for its real estate project; and, following his election to the Arizona House of Representatives, to assure representatives of Company A that he would continue to support Company A’s project.

Arredondo also admitted during his plea that he fraudulently used the Arredondo Scholarship Fund – which he established in 2001 and operated through at least 2011 – to benefit his own relatives without informing donors. In support of the fund, Arredondo solicited and received contributions – in part by telling prospective donors that the fund would pay for college fees and books for ‘average’ students – and assured donors that fund payments would not go to those ‘whose parents have saved a college fund’ or otherwise qualified for scholarships.

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