Marijuana Licenses and Bribes Exposed | Orange County News

California’s legal weed boom turned into a federal corruption scandal as city officials, consultants, and cannabis operators allegedly traded bribes for licenses and contracts. Councilman Ricardo Pacheco of Baldwin Park was caught with $62,000 hidden in his backyard, sparking a probe that led to wiretaps, indictments of over 20 people, and prison sentences—including 18 months for Pacheco and $220K forfeiture. His Compton counterpart Isaac Galvan got the same sentence plus $320K owed. This brazen pay-to-play scheme exposed deep rot across the San Gabriel Valley, proving that even booming new industries can’t escape old-school graft—and that accountability is finally catching up. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/8cb612a6c250bcff