A preliminary hearing in the case against Ron Galatolo, the former San Mateo County Community College District chancellor facing 23 felony counts, was continued for a second time to Sept. 18, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
The preliminary hearing was set to be held June 4.
Galatolo’s defense also requested he receive his bail money back but refused to give up his passport, with the judge ultimately denying the request, Wagstaffe said.
Galatolo is accused of directing district construction project contracts to people from whom he received valuable gifts and shared financial interests, allegedly misreporting tax information and allegedly trying to get the district to pay for his lawyer’s fees, according to the DA’s office. He maintains he has done nothing wrong.
The court will likely hear the testimony of prosecution witness Jose Nuñez — the former vice chancellor of facilities for the San Mateo County Community College District — during the preliminary hearing, Wagstaffe said previously.
Nuñez previously pleaded no contest to two felony counts of using the community college district’s resources for political purposes, including the election campaign of district board candidate Tom Mohr and a bond measure providing $2 billion in funding for college district capital projects between 2018 and 2020.
As part of the plea, Nuñez will testify as a witness in any proceeding or trials related to the District Attorney’s Office investigation into the community college district and faces up to three years, eight months in prison. The DA’s Office dismissed the remaining charges as part of the plea bargain for truthful testimony.
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