The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Local
    • Palmdale
    • Lancaster
    • Los Angeles County
    • Littlerock
    • Lake Los Angeles
    • Rosamond
    • Edwards AFB
    • Acton
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Advertise
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Show Search

Palmdale contractor who bribed LA County officials sentenced to prison

by City News Service • July 27, 2020

LOS ANGELES – A Palmdale man was handed a two-year federal prison sentence Monday for paying bribes to secure lucrative contracts from Los Angeles County for his electrical wiring company.

Enrique Contreras, 39, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner to serve three years on supervised release following his time in prison and pay restitution of $821,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Contreras admitted bribing two county officials, and in an effort to conceal the bribes and lower the taxes on his company — Tel-Pro — falsely claimed that some of the bribes, along with other personal expenses, were legitimate business expenses.

Contreras pleaded guilty in May 2019 to federal counts of paying bribes and signing a false tax return, and cooperated with the government. He deposited the restitution amount with the court clerk to satisfy the obligation prior to sentencing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Mohammad R. Tirmazi, 51, a former official with the county’s Internal Services Department, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and signing a false tax return. Tirmazi was sentenced last month to a year in federal prison for accepting nearly $300,000 in bribes from Contreras and then failing to report the income from those bribes and a side business on his federal tax returns.

In exchange for the bribes, Tirmazi approved orders requested by Contreras for, among other things, work that did not occur and materials that were not used on county projects. Tirmazi also admitted that he did not report, or force Contreras to correct, violations of the county’s Building and Safety Code or the National Electrical Code that Tirmazi uncovered during inspections of Tel-Pro’s work.

Some of those violations related to asbestos removal and Tel-Pro’s failure to properly install cables. In his plea agreement, Tirmazi admitted that he generally considered Tel-Pro’s work to be “shoddy,” but he overlooked its poor work because of the bribes.

Contreras also admitted to bribing Thomas J. Shepos, 69, of Palmdale, a public official formerly employed by the county in the Real Estate Division. Shepos pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and is scheduled to be sentenced by Klausner in December.

From roughly 2013 to 2016, Contreras made cash payments to Shepos, totaling about $200,000 to $300,000, in exchange for Shepos providing non- public county information and helping the electrical contractor secure contracts, prosecutors said.

As part of his plea agreement, Shepos also agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation.

One of the people from whom Shepos alleged he received bribes was real estate developer Arman Gabaee, 58, of Beverly Hills. Gabaee was arrested and subsequently indicted on federal bribery charges in 2018. His trial is scheduled for November in downtown Los Angeles.

Previous related stories:

Former L.A. County official sentenced in bribery, tax case

L.A. County official, contractor to plead guilty to bribery, tax charges

Former L.A. County public official agrees to plead guilty in bribery case

–

–

Filed Under: Business, Crime/ Safety, Home, Palmdale

2 comments for "Palmdale contractor who bribed LA County officials sentenced to prison"

  1. Clara Rodriguez says

    July 31, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    The county employees Thomas J Shepos and Enrique Contreras put the public at risk in exchange for bribes. Asbestos is a killer and its microscopic fibers are easily released into the air and cause cancer, mesothelioma. Also overlooking building standards placed many at risk. Shame on Shepos and Contreras. Taxpayers who work hard every day to pay their taxes are placed at risk for their very lives by those being paid by these taxes. Taxpayers should protest loudly in front of the courthouses or City Hall or county government center! Enough is enough! Lock them up!

    • Shine the Light says

      July 31, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      Shepos was very, very, very, very, very, very, very involved in dealings in Lancaster. One can only hope it will all come to light.

Recent Comments

  • RD on Free dump day April 24 for unincorporated communities in the AV: “Bring your property tax statement with you as it states wheather your address is in unincorporated Palmdale.” Apr 18, 09:04
  • Glevumguy on More than 8 dozen citations issued during “Speed Saturation Operation” in Lancaster: “We live on a side street off J8 and people regularly drive through here at 45 to 50mph, between parked…” Apr 18, 07:41
  • EXAV on Unemployment rate dips in LA County in March: “When the BLS and politicians say unemployment is 11% it means unemployment is really closer to 20%. Unemployment numbers are…” Apr 17, 11:51
  • Beecee can't think on UCLA study says COVID-19 recovery resources should help Black students: “Oh, Beecee Your short silly posts reflect well on you.” Apr 17, 11:06
  • Beecee on Readers Speak Out! [2021]: “And then you woke up. At least you were getting good REM sleep.” Apr 17, 09:59

© 2021 · The Antelope Valley Times. All rights reserved. Terms of Use