Three men, including two former Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies and the former owner of the Temecula Towing Company, were sentenced Tuesday in their roles in the Tow Bribbs scheme, which piloted an import business that was beneficial in exchange for personal benefits.
As reported by the press, former Lt. Colonel Samuel Flores was sentenced to nine months in prison and probation and was immediately taken into custody by Riverside County Judicial Attorney General. Former Sgt. Robert Martin Christron received six months in the Sheriff’s Job Release Program and probation. Cody Close, the former operator of DJ towing, was sentenced to 120 days in prison and probation and was also taken into custody on Tuesday.
The fourth defendant, former department Kevin Alton Carpenter, was on probation last October.
Bribery cases detailed in court records and reported by the press included a pattern of agents instructing the DJ towing to tow work in exchange for gifts and favors. Carpenter, who previously worked for the Temeculas Station Transportation Department, has boosted the reputation of an aggressively trapped vehicle with little or no justification and no proper recording.
Almost all of these calls were routed to the DJ towing. This is intended to ensure fair distribution of towing providers, even if the company is not on the official rotation list of the department.
According to prosecutors, Crowes paid Flores for a free towing of a personal vehicle, tickets to the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival, a limo ride, and a stay at the $4 million Oceanside home owned by Crowes’ mother.
The scheme was lifted in 2019 after Flores and Cristoron transferred to the Julpa Valley station and tried to bring DJ towing into the business immediately despite not being on the approved vendor list. It sparked an internal investigation.
Flores and Cristoron were convicted in June 2024 for accepting a conspiracy with bes. Close was convicted of three counts bribeing civil servants. Prosecutors also noted that Close’s dangerous material cleanup business began receiving suspicious businesses from the department around the same time.
The conviction marks the end of a long-standing investigation into corruption within the department towing procedure.
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