Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno Council President Charged with Felony Over Alleged Extortion
gvw_david_taub
By David Taub, Senior Reporter
Published 2 years ago on
July 18, 2022

Share

 

Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza has been charged with a felony count of attempted extortion, the Fresno County District Attorney’s office announced Monday.

Esparza, 31, is accused of threatening the employment of former City Attorney Douglas Sloan in April. In allegations made by fellow city councilman Garry Bredefeld — and corroborated publicly by Sloan — Esparza allegedly told the city attorney to work only for a majority of four councilmembers, or face termination.

Sloan left for a city attorney job in Santa Monica weeks later.

Council President Nelson Esparza is going to continue to focus on the issues that matter the most to District 7 and the City of Fresno: more infrastructure, more housing, public safety, and economic development. He looks forward to the forthcoming process and proving his innocence,” Esparza spokesman Michael Trujillo said in an email Monday afternoon.

Esparza Faces Two Counts

In addition to the attempted extortion charge (Penal Code 524), Esparza also faces one count of violating the Fresno City Charter, listed as Sec. 803. That section defines the role of the city attorney, particularly to “Represent and advise the Council and all city officers in all matters of law pertaining to their offices.”

The District Attorney says Esparza could face up to three years in state prison and fines.

It is unclear if Esparza was formally arrested. As of 1:10 p.m., his name did not appear on the Fresno County jail log or released inmate list.

A Fresno County Superior Court docket indicates an arrest warrant was reviewed and issued, but later recalled. Esparza posted a bond. His arraignment date is set for Sept. 20 in front of Judge Jon Kapetan.

Voters re-elected Esparza last month to a second, four-year term. A provision of the city charter could remove Esparza from office if he “is convicted of a felony or of an offense involving a violation of his or her duties.”

[Note: an earlier version of this story indicated that Esparza could face up to one year for each count. The District Attorney’s office clarified that the way the law is written, it does mean up to three years.]

Bredefeld: “Not Easy to Expose”

Bredefeld, long a critic of Esparza and other councilmembers, publicly accused Esparza of extortion during a May 13 news conference.

Speaking to the media that day, Bredefeld alleged that Esparza told Sloan not to do any work for three members of the seven-member council. If any of the three — Bredefeld, Mike Karbassi, and Luis Chavez — requested work, Sloan should report that to Esparza, according to Bredefeld. Failure to follow his orders, Esparza allegedly said, would result in the city attorney’s firing, Bredefeld alleged.

Esparza immediately denied the allegations and sued Bredefeld for defamation. After learning that the city would have to pay for Bredefeld’s legal defense, Esparza dropped his lawsuit.

“It was not easy to expose the attempted extortion of City Attorney Doug Sloan by Nelson Esparza, and of course, I knew when I did I’d be attacked and was even sued because I did expose,” Bredefeld said in an email on Monday.

“Now after a thorough investigation by the District Attorney, charges including a felony have been filed against Mr. Esparza. I believe in the Constitution, due process, and look forward to justice and there being accountability for what occurred,” Bredefeld said.

In a court filing during the defamation suit, Esparza told his side of the story:

“Esparza informed Mr. Sloan that, in his assessment, several Councilmembers were displeased with the fact that his City Attorney’s office had been weaponized for partisan purposes by Councilmember Garry Bredefeld. Plaintiff further informed Mr. Sloan that he was not presently inclined to vote for termination but that, as a voting member of the Council he wanted to have reassurances that the previous night’s resolution would be complied with and abided by. At no time did plaintiff Esparza direct, order, imply or suggest to Mr. Sloan that he should work only for ‘the majority’ of the Council or only for any certain Councilmembers to the exclusion of any others,” the filing states.

Dyer: Concerning News

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer released a statement Monday afternoon.

“This type of concerning news can cause the community to lose confidence in its government and question the integrity of public officials,” Dyer said in a news release. “I want to reassure the public that we in city government will continue to do all we can to maintain their trust and confidence by delivering on the promises we have made to them.”

Read the Felony Complaint

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Tackles Animal Overpopulation with New Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program

DON'T MISS

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

DON'T MISS

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

DON'T MISS

Supermom Carmi Is Ready to Be Embraced by Her Forever Family

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: How Going to Work for Trump Turned Devin Nunes Into a Millionaire

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

DON'T MISS

House Speaker Mike Johnson Headed to Fresno on April 4

DON'T MISS

Bredefeld, Smittcamp Debate the Salary of Valley Children’s CEO

DON'T MISS

CA’s Liberal Government Has a Long History of Caving to Special Interests

No data was found
David Taub,
Senior Reporter
Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

52 mins ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

54 mins ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

59 mins ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

1 hour ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

2 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

2 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

3 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

5 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

6 hours ago

Canadian School Boards Sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for Disrupting Students’ Education

6 hours ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth’s two-run double highlighted a four-run seventh inning for the San Diego Padres, who beat the San Francis...

13 mins ago

13 mins ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

30 mins ago

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

42 mins ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

52 mins ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

54 mins ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

59 mins ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

1 hour ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

2 hours ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend