Ricardo Pacheco Baldwin Park councilman sentenced 18 months bribery backyard cash

The Justice Department said Aug. 24, 2026 that Pacheco forfeited $219,755 for steering a $4.4 million police contract.

Ricardo Pacheco, Baldwin Park councilman from 1997 to 2020, sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
FBI agents dug up $62,900 cash from two spots in his backyard.
Compton's Isaac Jacob Galvan, sentenced the same day, had paid Pacheco $70,000 for marijuana permits.

Why it matters: A $4.4 million police contract vote was bought for under $40,000, cash cheap enough to bury.

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