Palm Springs Mayor Pledges To Cooperate With FBI Corruption Probe

PALM SPRINGS (CBSLA.com/AP) — The mayor of Palm Springs says he'll cooperate with a corruption probe after FBI agents raided City Hall.

Steve Pougnet released the statement Tuesday after about 20 agents from the FBI and the Riverside County district attorney's office served search warrants at City Hall and sent the employees home.

Authorities also went to the mayor's apartment but nobody answered the door, The Desert Sun reported.

KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports the FBI won't say what the searchers were looking for, but FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller says it was part of an effort involving a public corruption task force.

According to City Clerk spokesman James Thompson, law enforcement officers armed with warrants spent hours searching through computer files.

"That includes looking at the city's servers," said Thompson.

Federal regulators also are investigating the mayor's vote in favor of a city land sale to a developer. That investigation came after the Desert Sun reported that Pougnet had worked for a company owned by the developer.

City Council members including Virginia "Ginny" Foat said seeing federal agents swarm City Hall was a bit shocking.

"I have no idea what their targets are," said Foat.

The state's Fair Political Practices Commission announced in mid-May it was investigating whether Pougnet violated the state's political ethics law.

Pougnet has skipped every council meeting this summer and avoided almost all public appearances, while still collecting his $3,650 a month government salary.

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