David Phuong Dinh Vo, a former Westminster Planning Commissioner, was found guilty by a federal jury Thursday of one count of bribery for accepting $15,000 to help push through a city liquor license.
Vo is a Huntington Beach-based attorney who served on the Planning Commission from early 2009 to early 2013.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, in June 2011, Vo solicited a $15,000 bribe from an informant working with the FBI. Vo then received $15,000 over the course of four August 2011 meetings in exchange for pushing a liquor license through the approval process.
The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison, three years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. Vo and his attorney signed a plea deal last May, which could come with a lesser sentence.
Vo was appointed to the Planning Commission by Councilman Tyler Diep.
Contact Thy Vo at tvo@voiceofoc.org or follow her on Twitter @thyanhvo.