Former mayor of Adelanto, California, sentenced to federal prison for accepting marijuana-related bribes

On August 4, former Mayor of Adelanto, California Richard Kerr was found guilty of accepting cannabis-related bribes during his tenure. According to reporting in the Los Angeles Times, Kerr was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Federal prosecutors originally wanted to sentence Kerr to 46 months, but US District Judge John W. Holcomb reconsidered the sentence because Kerr was 66 years old, in addition to his two decades of service in the Marines and family responsibilities.

Kerr was elected mayor of Adelanto, a small desert town in southwest San Bernardino County, in 2014. Kerr claimed that at the time, 40% of Adelanto residents lived in poverty (according to 2014-2018 data, that percentage has dropped to 26.5%) and he wanted to make the city the “Silicon Valley of medical marijuana.”

In 2017, Kerr was arrested by federal agents for taking a $10,000 bribe and also for trying to find someone to burn down his restaurant (dubbed the Fat Boyz Grill) so he could collect insurance. The following year, 2018, Kerr’s home was raided by the FBI and he was seen handcuffed outside his home.

Later in 2021, he was accused of taking $75,000 in bribes during his tenure, which impacted the approval of cannabis-related regulations and permits.

In February 2023, Kerr finally pleaded guilty to fraud. The most recent case revealed that he viewed bribes as donations to a charity fund.

Carlos L. Juarez, Kerr’s attorney, defended his client, claiming that he had no college education and was naive. “He did his best to serve the people but got caught in a web of political corruption,” Juarez said.

Kerr called his actions the result of “stupidity” and “doing stupid things”. However, he praised the benefits of the cannabis industry for the city, as it has brought “thousands of jobs and hundreds of new homes.”

However, US Attorney Sean Peterson addressed the seriousness of Kerr’s actions. “It’s not like there was just one bribe. “This is serious conduct,” Peterson said, urging the judge to serve Kerr a four-year sentence as an example of the consequences for others who choose a similar path.

Many witnesses came to discuss Kerr’s behavior. A local, Edwin Snell, said Kerr promised him and his partner they would get permission to open a pharmacy in town, but Kerr sold the permit “to the highest bidder.” “He promised us a pharmacy and Semper Fi did,” Snell said. “Every person who voted for him was cheated. Everyone who voted for him was amazed.”

Another resident, Diana Esmeralda Holte, said in 2017 that she applied for a pharmacy license but her attempt was denied because she did not want to pay a $7,000 bribe. “I think he deserves a million years, but 20 would be reasonable,” Holte said.

In his defense, Juarez said the trial and the verdict were “totally embarrassing for Kerr.” Although he was once well known and respected in the community, he has eclipsed his family name,” he described.

Kerr’s supporters wrote letters to the judge, explaining that he grew up in poverty, had problems drinking, suffered from emphysema (a lung condition that causes shortness of breath) and supported five of his grandchildren. Kerr’s wife specifically highlighted his more positive decisions as mayor, which have included movies in the park, a public rodeo event, and food and toy donations during the holiday season.

Former Adelanto Mayor Jermaine Wright was convicted in 2022 of accepting a $10,000 bribe from an undercover federal agent claiming to own a cannabis business. Wright was sentenced to five years in prison.

A recent podcast titled Dreamtown: Adelanto, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, covers the city’s history and corruption, as well as Kerr’s involvement in the cannabis industry. “…Reporter David Weinberg examines what happened when a newcomer to the city council helped legalize weed growing and documents the aftermath of what happened next,” wrote High Times contributor Molly Lipson.

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