A spokesperson at the FBI's Los Angeles office told Reuters she could not disclose the nature of the searches because the case was under seal. The spokesperson said no suspects had been taken into custody.
— jay calderon (@jaymcalderon) September 1, 2015
Law enforcement agents served search warrants and removed materials from City Hall offices, and seized several items from the apartment of Mayor Steve Pougnet, Reuters reported.
Three months ago, California's Fair Political Practices Commission began investigating links between Pougnet and a real estate developer.
The investigation was preceded by reports in the Desert Sun newspaper that revealed Pougnet was working as a consultant for that developer when he voted in favor of selling city property to a company in which the developer is a principal.
The newspaper reported that the mayor received more than $200,000 as a consultant for the company.
In May, Pougnet said the newspaper "threw their hat in with the handful of politically motivated detractors who have made accusations about my job as a consultant and my integrity as your mayor."
— jay calderon (@jaymcalderon) September 1, 2015
Pougnet, a Democrat who was first elected mayor of Palm Springs in 2007, previously announced that he would not seek reelection in 2015.
A Riverside County Grand Jury recently announced it would not investigate Pougnet because he was already being looked into by "other investigative agencies."
