Two new felony embezzlement and funding misappropriation charges have been added in the case against Ron Galatolo, the former San Mateo County Community College District chancellor.
Galatolo now faces 23 felony counts and is accused of directing district construction project contracts to people from whom he received valuable gifts and shared financial interests. He also allegedly misreported tax information. The new charges are in regards to Galatolo allegedly trying to get the district to pay for his lawyers’ fees, assistant district attorney Sean Gallagher said.
However, Galatolo and his lawyer Chuck Smith have said he has done nothing wrong.
“We feel strongly that we will defeat these new charges just like we will defeat the existing charges,” Chuck Smith, Galatolo’s lawyer, said.
Galatolo was arrested after a multiyear investigation prompted by a whistleblower complaint in 2019. In February, a separate $1 billion civil suit filed on behalf of the district accuses construction firms of showering Galatolo and another administrator with gifts. Galatolo claimed there is no proof he did anything wrong with his friendships that were reciprocal.
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(1) comment
Buckle up. Its going to be a very interesting trial.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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