The vice chancellor of facilities for the San Mateo County Community College District facing numerous felony charges has become a prosecution witness as part of a plea deal accepted Wednesday, the San Mateo District Attorney’s Office said.
Jose Nuñez 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, prosecutors said Wednesday.
As part of the plea, he will testify as a witness in any proceeding or trials related to the District Attorney’s Office investigation into the community college district. The DA’s Office dismissed the remaining charges as part of the plea bargain for truthful testimony.
“We do believe his testimony would be important testimony for a jury trying to decide other people’s culpability,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
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The District Attorney’s Office is conducting a corruption probe around former Chancellor Ron Galatolo, with a decision on charges against Galatolo coming later in January or February, prosecutors said. Galatolo was district chancellor for 18 years and allegedly directed district contracts to friends who in return showered him with secret, lavish gifts, according to documents previously unveiled by the Daily Journal.
Nunez has been with the district for 21 years. The district oversees Skyline College, Cañada College and College of San Mateo. Nuñez faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison for the two felonies as part of the deal. Wagstaffe said the length of his sentencing would depend on his helpfulness and complete truthfulness in testifying and providing information. The DA’s Office conducted interviews with Nuñez in late 2021. According to Wagstaffe, the interviews led the DA’s Office to conclude his testimony would be valuable in any future cases involving the community college district. Discussions with Nuñez’s attorney occurred over several months. His next court appearance is July 15 to set a date for sentencing.
The DA’s Office Dec. 21 announced charges against Nuñez on allegations including embezzlement of public money, perjury and use of the college district’s resources for political campaign purposes. Prosecutors alleged the embezzlement occurred in 2013 and 2014 when Nuñez assisted in the awarding of a construction contract to architectural firm Allana, Buick and Bers to construct the Cañada College solar photovoltaic system project. The perjury charges allege a failure to report “a number of gifts” between 2009-2020.
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