Hews Media Group Exclusive: Gil Cedillo Jr. Now Part of Calderon FBI Probe

By Brian Hews and Randy Economy

Hews Media Group-Community News has learned that the FBI’s investigation of California State Senator Ron Calderon is now looking into the role Gil Cedillo Jr., the son of Los Angeles City Councilman Gil Cedillo, had in an alleged scheme to funnel illegal contributions from businesses to Calderon in exchange for those businesses landing lucrative state contracts.

Gilbert Cedillo, Jr., via his Facebook page

In an exclusive interview with HMG-CN, a second FBI informant confirmed that the FBI, on multiple occasions, had interviewed the informant concerning Cedillo Jr.’s alleged role in the illegal contributions scheme that has been ongoing for a number of years.

Previously, HMG-CN was the first to report on Gil Cedillo Jr.’s role with the Central Basin Municipal Water District, his six-figure salary, taxpayer-paid $22,000 college tuition, and most recently his involvement with the awarding of questionable contracts to DeAztlan Consulting.

But it now appears that the DeAztlan scheme was the tip of the iceberg.

Cedillo Jr. who was Senator Calderon’s Field Director in the past, was the apparent “middle man” between Senator Calderon and local businesses who needed help obtaining contracts from the state.

In return, these businesses funded trips and gave cash to Senator Calderon through Cedillo Jr.

Part of the investigation centers around a Whittier-based company called PALS Supported Living Services. The FBI’s investigation into PALS is focused on trips to Las Vegas for Senator Calderon that was “supported” by PALS President Rodney Mojarro.

HMG-CN has obtained more than 2,000 pages of court documents outlining the details of a civil case that involves PALS.

In those documents, PALS paid Cedillo Jr. a ‘Consulting Fee’ of $569.40 per month between Sept. 2011 and Mar. 2012, the same time Cedillo Jr. was employed at CBMWD and getting paid over $9,000 per month.

See checks here

Those same documents show Toni De Aztlan receiving  $4,680 from PALS for “legal services.” The date of the check was Oct. 25, 2011, eight days before Toni DeAztlan landed a $25,000 Election Services Contract with CBMWD of which Gil Cedillo Jr. was the Project Manager.

See check here

But the money to DeAztlan did not stop there. An examination of CBMWD’s check register revealed Ms. DeAztlan received $8,300 in May and June of 2012 for “Consulting” and another check for $8,400 in October for “Consulting-Election,” for a total of $50,000.

See check register entries here

HMG-CN has made a public records request asking for any documents, contracts, and emails related to the additional money paid to Ms. DeAztlan.

The informant went on to say that the FBI is also interested in a transaction between DeAtzlan, who was the counsel for PALS, and Cedillo Jr., wherein Cedillo Jr. received payment for the purchase of his classic Impala car with several transactions of cash and checks, ranging in the amounts of $7,000 and up.

In addition, they are looking into Cedillo, Jr. receiving gifts of Las Vegas trips, free cell phone, dinners at the swanky Dal Rae Restaurant in Pico Rivera, CA, stipend check payments, and help with the purchase of his family home in Monterey Park, CA.