Bill Postmus - Allegations of Corruption

Allegations of Corruption

The Grand Jury of the County of San Bernardino recently investigated Postmus and his Assessors office after reports that he was using the office as a political tool to increase fundraising for the Republican party and his own political ambitions. Included in the investigation was the arrest of Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman, a longtime friend of Postmus, who was charged with six felony counts in connection with fabricating and destroying county records at the Assessors office.

Search warrants were also served at the Assessors office in April, 2008 in connection with the Grand Jury investigation. Desktop and laptop computers were removed from his office. The search warrant is said to have been connected to Postmus using public resources for political activities.

A grand jury inquiry, which spun off an investigation by the district attorney and led to the arrest of Postmus' top assistant, chronicled a number of abuses of power in the Assessor's Office.

The grand jury report faulted the assessor for using $1.2 million to hire an executive staff with little experience in property tax appraisals.

The report also revealed that staffers had been engaging in partisan politics on county time.

On January 15, 2009, Postmus was arrested for felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies executed a search warrant on his home.

On February 6, 2009, Postmus resigned his position as Assessor for the County of San Bernardino, effective February 13.

On March 28, 2011 Bill Postmus pled guilty to three felony charges. He faces five years in prison for Conspiracy to Accept a Bribe (Penal Code 182) and Conflict of Interest (Government Code 1090) in the Colonies Conspiracy case for actions while he was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and to Misappropriation of Public Funds (Penal Code 424) while he was County Assessor in that separate case.