San Bernardino City Councilmen Face Charges For Alleged Identity Theft, Perjury
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A San Bernardino city councilman has been charged in a case involving identity theft and stalking, prosecutors said Thursday.
Robert David Jenkins, 37, has been charged with 18 felonies and 12 misdemeanors after he allegedly used a city-owned computer to place several "personal advertisements" on the Craigslist website seeking sex partners for two other people, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
KNX 1070's Mike Landa reports prosecutors say the ads would include identifying information about the victims - both residents of Riverside County - including names, photographs and addresses.
City Councilman Charged For Allegedly Creating False 'Personal' Ads
One of the victims is "someone Jenkins knows" and the second is a person with whom the first victim had a relationship, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Jenkins is also accused of creating a false San Bernardino Police Department internal memorandum, using the names of two police department employees – a sergeant and a lieutenant - as well as official city and police department seals.
Prosecutors allege that Jenkins created and distributed the falsified memorandum in an effort to make it appear that he also was a victim of harassment on the Internet.
The investigation revealed that the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses associated with the Craigslist ads connected back to Jenkins in various locations, including a home of relatives and also Jenkins' place of employment, prosecutors said.
Jenkins, a special education teacher who works with high school students with disabilities, was elected to office in July 2011.
San Bernadino Mayor Pat Morris said Thursday he was "stunned" by the allegations leveraged against Jenkins.
"That is a lightning bolt out of the blue," he said. Morris declined, however, to ask for Jenkins' resignation.
"It's entirely and solely up to him - how he handles these allegations," he continued.
Jenkins' attorney told KCAL9's Tom Wait his client will be exonerated and looks forward to clearing his name in court.
The charges against him were announced the same day that Chas Kelley, another San Bernardino city councilman, was arraigned on perjury charges.
Kelley, who has already resigned from office, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years probation. He is also prohibited from ever holding office again.
