Details: Bribery Trial of Mission Viejo Attorney

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the alleged recipient of a $2,500 bribe as Vigil's ex-wife. The alleged recipient was actually the estranged wife of private investigator Ashraf "Joe" Swidan.

New details are emerging as witnesses are grilled in the case against Lawrence Witsoe, a Mission Viejo defense attorney accused of setting up a bribe to get a client out of an assault charge.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors told jurors Witsoe protected his client, an Arizona businessman, by setting up a bribe with a drug enforcement agent. Wayne Gillis of Phoenix, who was upset over how long it was taking to rent a vehicle, was accused of head-butting a car rental manager at John Wayne Airport in March 2009, City News Service reports.

Officer Aaron Scott Vigil, the man accused of accepting the bribe, was a Rialto police officer assigned to a Drug Enforcement Agency task force after being named the state's Officer of the Year the prior year, CNS says.

The FBI says Witsoe told Gillis to put $2,500 into a trust account to bribe Vigil to lie about helping recover $110,000 in a drug bust.

Both Witsoe and Vigil are charged with conspiracy and soliciting and accepting a bribe by a public official. Vigil faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in federal prison, and Witsoe faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.

According to the grand jury indictment, the bribery scheme began in fall 2009.

At that time, Witsoe allegedly told Gillis he could have the assault charges dropped for a sum of money—initially $1,000, but that amount was later raised to $2,500.

The FBI claims Vigil then called the OCDA's Office, falsely claiming tips from Gillis led to the DEA seizing $110,000 in drug money. The OCDA dropped charges against Gillis a few days after Vigil's phone call.

The indictment further claims Witsoe instructed Gillis to wire him $2,500, then Witsoe wrote a $2,500 check to Yareli Campos, the estranged wife of private investigator Ashraf "Joe" Swidan, an associate of Vigil and Witsoe, City News Service reported.

Witsoe lives in Mission Viejo and practices law in Corona.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article misspelled Witsoe's last name in two sentences.