SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A former county supervisor in Northern California was sentenced on Friday to perform community service after admitting he sent out a deceptive campaign mailer characterizing a friend’s political challenger as a communist.
George Shirakawa Jr., 53, must perform 360 hours of community service rather than spend time in jail, according to the San Jose Mercury News (https://bayareane.ws/1IbRMMT ). Shirakawa, who resigned in 2013 from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, was linked to the mailer through DNA evidence found on its stamp.
“I regret my conduct and apologize to the voters and the Santa Clara community for my actions,” an emotional Shirakawa said in court. “I haven’t always done wrong.”
Shirakawa pleaded no contest in February to felony false impersonation for sending out the illegal mailer in 2010. The newspaper reports that the mailer was sent to Vietnamese-American voters on behalf of Shirakawa’s friend and ally, Xavier Campos. The target, Magdalena Carrasco, lost the primary by less than 1 percent, but last year she beat Campos in his bid for re-election.
Defense attorney Jay Rorty said in a statement Saturday that Shirakawa’s sentence was fair. Prosecutors had sought jail time, but Rorty argued that he had already spent time in jail. Shirakawa served seven months last year after admitting that the used campaign money to support a gambling addiction, costing taxpayers $2.7 million.
“What matters in the end is that Mr. Shirakawa will spend no more time in custody and be given the opportunity to serve the community,” Rorty said.
As a supervisor, Shirakawa made $143,000 annually, but the newspaper cited a county probation report, which says that last year he earned $27,000 working as a consultant for a developer. The report says Shirakawa now relies on relatives for financial support.
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Information from: San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, https://www.mercurynews.com
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