Former Sonoma Water Operations Supervisor Pleads Guilty To Fraud Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 08, 2009 |
SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Randall C. Cover, a former Water Operations Supervisor for the City of Sonoma, Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco Wednesday to five counts of using the mails to engage in a fraud scheme to deprive the people of the City of Sonoma to their right to honest services, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.
In pleading guilty, Cover admitted to personally receiving financial payments from a Parts Vendor with whom he had arranged contracts for the City of Sonoma.
Cover pleaded guilty without a written plea agreement. He is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in San Francisco on August 19, 2009, at 2:15 p.m., before United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer. Cover remains on bail pending sentencing.
The maximum statutory penalty for each count of mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § § 1341 and 1346 is 20 years and a fine of $250,00, plus restitution. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Robin Harris is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Jennifer Hiwa. The prosecution is the result of a 18 month investigation by the FBI and the Sonoma Police Department.