A
former city manager in Commerce, Edgar Cisneros, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of accepting bribes worth $120,000 for allowing big rigs to park on city lots. According to an unsealed plea agreement, Cisneros admitted to pocketing up to $10,000 a month from 2021 to 2022 in exchange for renting two empty city lots to a company that subleased them to truckers during the pandemic.

    The market rate for one of the lots, a 14.4-acre property at 6007 Telegraph Road, was estimated between $156,000 and $282,000 per month. Cisneros secretly pleaded guilty on November 6, 2023, just weeks before the city council agreed to pay him $214,000 to resign as part of a severance package that included around $400,000 in extra pay.

    City officials were unaware of the federal charges and only learned about them this month. In response, they stated they would review the severance agreement and explore options to recover funds or damages resulting from any wrongdoing. Cisneros cooperated with the FBI's investigation into a cannabis bribery scheme spanning Southern California and admitted to taking $25,000 meant to influence Commerce's selection of cannabis companies in 2018.

    As part of his plea deal, Cisneros is required to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. It's unclear whether he faces prison time for the Commerce parking lot kickback scheme. The U.S. Attorney's Office revealed this month that several Southern California public officials have been arrested and charged in connection with the cannabis bribery scheme.