Ron Galatolo
A mistrial has been declared on 18 remaining counts that accused embattled former community college chancellor Ron Galatolo of embezzlement and misuse of funds during his time with the district, his defense attorney, Chuck Smith, said.
The jury found him guilty on four counts of perjury and four counts of willfully filing false tax returns, as well as not guilty on one count of perjury, Jan. 20.
Of those eight counts, two counts of perjury related to failing to disclose gifts on government forms during his time as chancellor. He was also found guilty of falsely writing off a $10,000 donation the district made to fire relief efforts in Santa Rosa as a personal donation.
The remaining guilty counts involved his personal life, including two allegations of evading registration fees when purchasing expensive cars and tax evasion on a Maui rental property.
The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office largely failed to prove its case against Galatolo misusing his influence to direct district construction project contracts to people from whom he received valuable gifts and shared financial interests, Smith said.
“The government loaded up all its guns and shot them at Ron Galatolo, and for the most part they missed,” he said. “Their whole theory about his corruption and the way he operated the community college was wrong. They convicted him on personal stuff.”
The DA’s Office did not immediately respond to request for comment. Wagstaffe previously said Galatolo could face between eight to 10 years in prison.
In the final voting process, there were at least four dissenting jurors on each of the remaining 18 counts, Smith said. He’s also hopeful that a judge will bring the guilty counts down to a misdemeanor.
Galatolo was on trial for 27 felony counts of tax evasion, perjury, conflicts of interest, misuse of public funds and embezzlement.
The trial began Oct. 29, and each side had argued their own distinctive version of Galatolo and the rationale for his decision-making. The jury was charged with deciding if the friendships and connections Galatolo maintained are genuine or strategically influenced for his personal gain.
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.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 105
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(1) comment
Shocking lack of justice for democracy! Evidence presented at the trial showed that Galatolo, like another powerful public figure, thought he was "king." He certainly behaved that way as Chancellor in the years I attended meetings. Was the jury aware that he lied to his Board of Directors, spent over a billion dollars of taxpayer bond money enlarging the campuses when enrollment had been declining for years, and built luxury membership health clubs subsidized by County taxpayers? Were they aware that he controlled public information and tried to limit public input at public meetings? Perhaps Mr. Smith's definition of corruption is different from mine as a taxpayer and voter in San Mateo County.
Has "pay to play" become so normalized in public construction projects that voters are okay with not knowing how much money is being spent to influence their votes on bond measures and expensive construction projects? Not accurately reporting this information on legally required forms makes it impossible for voters to know whose interests politicians and executive staff really represent.
But, certainly, tax evasion and perjury are felonies for a reason and the judge should not reduce them to a misdemeanor. Or will tax evasion felonies be reduced for everyone?
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