DB Man Pleads Guilty to Bribery Charges in Federal Court

A Diamond Bar man pleaded guilty today to charges of bribery, paying $50,000 to the former chairman of the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians to secure a valet parking contract at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto in late 2006.

Abbas Shileh, 47, is the owner of California Parking Services alongside two family members. He pleaded guilty today to one count of paying a bribe after initially entering a not guilty plea in late 2010, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Central California office.

The recipient of the bribe — Robert Salgado, Jr., former chairman of the Soboba Band — also pleaded guilty to bribery and tax charges last October for receiving over $875,000 in bribes from tribal vendors and concealing that income from the IRS.

Shileh admitted today in a United States District Court that he paid Salgado $50,000 in three separate checks written in late 2006 and early 2007.

California Parking Services received a contract soon after — in March 2007 — from the Soboba Band to provide parking services at the Soboba Casino.

Shileh faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, but a plea agreement between prosecutors and Shileh suggests a sentence of three years of probation, including eight months of home detention, 500 hours of community service, and a $100,000 fine.