Milpitas Gun Shop Owner Pleads Guilty In Permit Bribery Scheme

MILPITAS, CA — The owner of a gun tooling and customization shop pleaded guilty to a reduced charge related to a bribery scheme entangled with former sheriff Laurie Smith's administration, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Michael Nichols, 48, of Milpitas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to solicit a bribe. The court reduced the charge to a misdemeanor per a negotiated disposition and levied a one-year county jail sentence, according to the DA.

The plea is the latest piece in the District Attorney's investigation into the former sheriff's administration. Smith resigned last year, after more than two decades as sheriff, after she was found guilty in a civil trial stemming from a criminal probe. The DA's office has secured four conditions and forced Smith's resignation.

In this case, the DA's office said Nichols served as "an important middleman" in the scheme to read concealed carry permits for donations, including to Smith's own re-election campaign.

Prosecutors said Nichols helped arrange meetings for a company seeking gun permits, which ultimately led to an agreement to pay $90,000 for more than a dozen permits. Half of that total went to a political action committee set up in support of Smith's campaign, and the second half was interrupted by the DA's investigation.

The District Attorney's Office is still pursuing additional cases related to the bribery scheme, and the remaining defendants include former Undersheriff Rick Sung and Apple's head of global security Thomas Moyer.

"Today's conviction marks another milestone in this Office's steady commitment to holding accountable all of the participants in this pay-for-play government corruption scheme," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. "The community must be assured that government services —especially those involving public safety — are provided according to need, not bribes."