Former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus charged with bribery

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California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown announced Tuesday the filing of bribery charges against former San Bernardino County Assessor Bill Postmus.

The complaint alleges that Postmus took a $100,000 bribe to cast a vote in support of what Brown’s office is calling a ‘fraudulent settlement’ that in 2005 allocated $102 million to Colonies Partners, a Rancho Cucamonga developer.

[Updated at 2:46 p.m.: The charges filed by Brown’s office stem from alleged activities during Postmus’ tenure as a San Bernardino County supervisor, a position Postmus held before his appointment as assessor in 2007. Postmus resigned as assessor in February 2009.]

Brown also filed charges against James Erwin, former chief of staff to San Bernardino County Supervisor Neil Derry. Postmus faces a maximum of eight years in state prison if convicted. Erwin faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Postmus, once considered a rising star in the Republican Party, fell from political grace after revealing he was battling a substance-abuse problem.

-- Anthony York in Sacramento

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