THIS IS AN ARCHIVE OF LAKE TAHOE NEWS, WHICH WAS OPERATIONAL FROM 2009-2018. IT IS FREELY AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH. THE WEBSITE IS NO LONGER UPDATED WITH NEW ARTICLES.

Nutting faces 4 felonies; judge being sought to hear case


image_pdfimage_print

By Laura Cole, CBS-13

El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting has been indicted by a grand jury on four felony counts, CBS13 has learned.

After more than a dozen witnesses’ testimony, jurors at a May closed-door hearing determined there was enough evidence to indict the El Dorado County supervisor.

Nutting’s family received or applied for $206,000 in taxpayer money for clearing brush and trimming trees on his own land.

Ray Nutting

Ray Nutting

In a March 27 interview with CBS13, Nutting said of the work, “Almost all of this is for my own labor.”

However, in a 2009 state invoice, Nutting said none of the money was for work that he performed himself.

Nutting eventually said it was a clerical error committed by Mark Stewart, an expert hired to oversee his project.

Under sworn testimony, Stewart admits it was his fault, saying “It should not have been a zero, and I think that was (sic) mistake where I had printed out.”

He goes on to say, “I didn’t catch that the zero was for my own labor on there.”

But Nutting still signed the invoice, and the grand jury found enough evidence to charge the supervisor with filing a false document.

Nutting’s also indicted for failing to report more than $120,000 on his state financial-disclosure forms, and voting to approve more than $600,000 in taxpayer money toward contracts to districts which had a role in awarding him state grants.

And under grand jury questioning, Nutting invoked his Fifth Amendment right and was excused.

But last week he issued a public statement saying, I fully intend to be acquitted in a court of law as quickly as possible, and then return to perform all the duties for which I was elected.”

Nutting still hasn’t been arraigned and doesn’t have a date for his arraignment, yet. This is because of the difficulty in finding a judge in the county who doesn’t have a potential conflict of interest with the supervisor. The trial will begin once the arraignment is complete.

image_pdfimage_print

About author

This article was written by admin

Comments

Comments (1)
  1. Alex Campbell says - Posted: June 27, 2013

    Oh Ray!! Your just a country boy who happens to be a politician. A great statement by your attorney.
    Per-Chance with big cash bank deposits and big grants
    has the IRS been notified ? Income from clearing brush.
    Four felonies without the IRS looking.
    Nothing to hide, his own labor, clerical era oops error ! Takes the 5th while the beat goes on.