In November 2016, the FBI received a tip from the spouse of one of Perez’s clients. The spouse claimed that Perez had told the client that he had bribed a judge for a favorable ruling. The FBI had the spouse meet with Perez, while wearing a wire. At the meeting, Perez told the spouse that some of the client’s fee would go to bribing the judge in the case. The judge in that case was not Judge Delgado, but a different judge.
The FBI then interviewed Perez. According to FBI Special Agent David Roncska, Perez admitted during that interview that he had been bribing Judge Delgado for several years in order to secure favorable rulings for his clients. In response to the FBI’s questions about paying bribes to Delgado, Perez described that he would “purchase wood” from Delgado.
At trial, Perez explained on direct examination what he meant by “purchasing wood” in the timeframe prior to the FBI’s investigation:
Q: Prior to the [FBI] investigation, did you go to Judge Delgado’s home and give him money for things?
Perez: Yes … I would kind of like disguise it in like buying wood and, you know, give him—I said I’m going to buy some wood and give him $250, 300 bucks, 250, 260.
Perez described that he would pay about $250 for 12 to 20 pieces of wood, which would normally cost about $30 or $40 at a local store. He explained that paying such prices was “beneficial” for him because his clients would “probably” receive a “favorable discretion or ruling.” Specifically, whenever Perez went to Delgado’s home to purchase wood, the two would always discuss Perez’s cases and Perez would ask Delgado if he would consider releasing his clients on PR bonds. Perez would also sometimes pick up beer for Delgado, slipping $250 in cash into the beer box.
At the FBI’s request, Perez provided a list of his clients on whose behalf he had bribed Delgado for favorable outcomes. The list included four
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