Former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has admitted guilt in a bribery case tied to allegations he accepted payments in exchange for backing a developer’s real estate ventures.
Pougnet, who served two mayoral terms and left office in 2015, was charged in 2017 along with 86-year-old businessman John Elroy Wessman. In 2019, both men and Coachella Valley developer Richard Hugh Meaney, 59, were indicted by a Riverside County grand jury.
Prosecutors alleged Wessman and Meaney paid Pougnet over $375,000 between 2012 and 2014 to secure his support for various projects, including the Kimpton hotel and a downtown redevelopment initiative in Palm Springs.
At a court conference Wednesday attended by Pougnet’s defense team, prosecutors, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz, a pretrial plea deal was reached, with terms submitted by the defense directly to the judge.
Pougnet, 62, pleaded guilty to nine counts of bribery involving a public official, eight counts of having an unlawful financial interest in public contracts, and one count of conspiracy. He also entered no contest pleas to three counts of perjury. Sentencing is set for July 2, 2025. Steve Pougnet remains free on his own recognizance.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the agreement was made with the court rather than with prosecutors. The DA’s office objected, accusing Pougnet of betraying public trust.
