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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Corruption Alleged|in Assessor’s Office

SAN BERNARDINO (CN) - San Bernardino County claims that its Assessor William Postmus created an "'executive staff' of superfluous positions within the Assessor's Office to act as his personal political machine funded by county taxpayers."

The county claims Postmus - a former chairman of the Board of Supervisors - and his deputy in the Assessor's Office, Adam Aleman, "orchestrated a further fraud on the county by awarding an "excessive contract" to their "crony, Michael Richman, a political consultant," which they wangled to come in at just under $50,000 - the most possible without board oversight.

"In exchange, Richman provided the county with virtually no services related to the Assessor's Office," the complaint states.

Postmus was elected to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. He was chairman of the board in 2005-06. He was elected county assessor in November 2006, took officer in January 2007, was arrested in January this year and resigned on Feb. 13, according to the complaint.

Postmus appointed defendant Aleman his assistant in January 2007. He resigned in July 2008 when he was arrested, the complaint states.

Also sued are Gregory Eyler, a former "taxpayer advocate" in the Assessor's Office; Rex Gutierrez, a former "intergovernmental relations officers" in the Assessor's Office, James Erwin, a former assistant assessor; Richman, and his company, MPR Strategies, of the City of Commerce.

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