A pair of East Bay property developers are charged with trying to bribe an Antioch city councilmember for favorable treatment on a residential project, the Department of Justice said.
David Sanson, 60, of Philipsburg, Montana, and Trent Sanson, 33, of Walnut Creek, face conspiracy and bribery charges, the DOJ said. David Sanson is the CEO of the Concord-based company, and his son is the vice president.
They are accused of offering the councilmember $10,000 in one attempt and giving him a company travel mug filled with $5,000 in another attempt, the DOJ said.
A statement was sent to KPIX by Winston Chan, a lawyer representing David Sanson.
“My client Dave Sanson is a respected business leader and philanthropist with a 30-year track record of building homes and supporting communities across Northern California.
We are reviewing the government’s allegations closely and caution against any rush to judgment based on mere allegations that present a one-sided story. We are confident the facts will show that Dave is innocent, and that he was unfairly targeted without cause to be dragged out of near retirement from out-of-state, to be trapped into a web of deceit manufactured to “take down” Dave and his family by a controversial local politico, whose own suspect personal motivations we look forward to exposing.
It’s incredibly disappointing that Dave’s reputation—built on a decades-long career of creating opportunities for residents of cities like Antioch, that have struggled for years to keep up with housing needs and other challenges—is being dragged through the mud.
Dave and our team look forward to addressing this matter in court.”
According to the DOJ, the bribery attempts were reported to the FBI by the councilmember.
The DOJ said they were allegedly trying to get favorable treatment for one of their development projects, a 533-unit residential development named the Aviano project.
Those attempts were made after the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division notified them that its public infrastructure improvement requirements were not completed, the DOJ said.
The Department of Justice said two property developers stashed $5,000 in a travel mug in a bribery attempt. Department of Justice
It led to the city not approving the release of bonds meant for the Aviano project. The DOJ said on May 29, 2024, Trent Sanson allegedly sent an iMessage to the councilmember saying he wanted to talk about issues the company was having with the city’s “Engineering department.”
During a June 12, 2024, video-recorded meeting, Trent Sanson allegedly told the councilmember that his father was “willing to pay the councilmember $10,000” for them to vote in favor of releasing the bonds for phase 3 at Aviano, the DOJ said.
During a second video-recorded meeting, David Sanson allegedly gave the councilmember $5,000 hidden in a travel coffee mug that had the company’s logo on it.
“Attempting to bribe a public official is a blatant attack on the integrity of our government and the trust of the communities we serve,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani. “The allegations in this case reflect a clear attempt to manipulate the system for personal gain. The FBI will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt public institutions through bribery or abuse of power.”
They face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. They will have a status conference in district court on June 12, 2025.
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Jose Fabian
Jose Fabian is a web producer for CBS Bay Area where he reports on local crime, politics and breaking news. He studied political science and journalism at Sacramento State and was born and raised in Northern California.
