Ex-Murrieta Cop Set For January Sentencing In Bribery Scheme

MURRIETA, CA — A sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 19 at the federal courthouse in downtown Riverside for an ex-Murrieta police officer accused of taking bribes to facilitate a South American art dealer's entry to the United States.

On Friday, Paul John Gollogly, 74, of Temecula formally admitted a single count of bribery under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors will seek a term of imprisonment of 18 months or less, per the plea deal, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Last month, Gollogly admitted in federal court that he solicited bribes from the wealthy Colombian art dealer, according Southern California News Group, which broke the story.

From April 2013 to February 2020, while Gollogly was working for the Murrieta Police Department, he allegedly assisted the unnamed dealer in facilitating U.S. Department of Homeland Security authorizations that allowed the man to enter and work in the country.

Gollogly went as far as registering the art dealer as a confidential informant with the Murrieta Police Department, which he had done previously for the dealer while working for a Florida law enforcement agency. Gollogly even claimed, falsely, that the art dealer's work as an informant resulted in arrests and large drug seizures, according to the SCNG report and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"If the art dealer had problems reentering the U.S., Gollogly would personally communicate with immigration officials to verify and vouch for his work as an informant for Murrieta police and other agencies," SCNG reported.

The bribes Gollogly received from the art dealer included tickets to art shows in New York and Miami; jobs for a friend and a family member; hotel stays; rent payments for a relative; and dinner at an upscale New York restaurant, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Gollogly came to the city of Murrieta in early 2013 after serving as a narcotics investigator for many years with the state of California, according to city of Murrieta spokesperson Dominique Samario.

"Mr. Gollogly served as a Reserve Police Officer for the Murrieta Police Department. He was assigned to work in the newly established anti money laundering operation. Immediately following a search warrant served by the FBI at the home of Mr. Gollogly, Mr. Gollogly’s status as a Murrieta Reserve Officer was terminated," Samario wrote in an emailed statement.

"The Murrieta Police Department fully cooperated with the FBI and Department of Justice throughout the inquiry, including providing any documents required by the FBI to complete their investigation," Samario continued. "The plea agreement makes it clear that neither the police department nor the City of Murrieta was the target of this investigation. Unfortunately, the FBI investigation has revealed that Mr. Gollogly concealed material facts from the City, made false and fraudulent representations to the City with regard to his work, and defrauded the City and Murrieta citizens of their right to honest services."

The Murrieta Police Department's anti-money laundering operation ended in 2020 when the city learned that Gollogly was the target of an FBI investigation. It is not operational today, Samario added.

Gollogly was facing a maximum of 10 years in federal prison, SCNG reported.

Read the full Sept. 6 SCNG report.