San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane retained a criminal defense attorney last fall to advise him before he testified in front of a grand jury, the supervisor said Thursday.
Biane's campaign finance documents filed Monday for the period between July 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009 show two payments totaling about $50,000 to the Los Angeles law firm of Corbin, Fitzgerald and Athey. The firm specializes in white-collar criminal defense and business litigation, according to its Web site.
Last August, the district attorney's office served subpoenas to top county officials, including supervisors. Officials were called to appear before a grand jury, starting in September.
"I don't believe anyone should testify in any legal proceeding without seeking the advice of counsel," Biane said in a statement. "So that's what I did. It's as simple as that."
A month before issuing the subpoenas, the district attorney's office announced that it was looking into the county's efforts to develop a 1,200-acre piece of land in Rancho Cucamonga and a $102 million lawsuit settlement in 2006 with Colonies Partners.
Last month, the district attorney's office revealed that it had sought a legal opinion from the Fair Political Practices Commission over a trip that Biane took in September 2008.
According to Biane's campaign finance records, he reimbursed two businessmen associated with Colonies for a flight to Virginia on a private jet and for a golfing trip that same weekend.
The state watchdog agency is being asked to examine whether Biane violated disclosure laws and properly reported the gifts he received.
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