Ex-Fresno County staffer sentenced for conflict of interest in derailed UMC deal
Steven Rapada, a former staffer for Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero, was sentenced Thursday in Fresno Superior Court to one year of probation and 60 hours of community service for a misdemeanor conflict of interest violation.
Rapada was arrested in October 2020 and initially charged with a felony for allegedly having a personal financial interest in a county-negotiated contract to develop the former University Medical Center site.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office announced the sentence Thursday.
Rapada initially pleaded not guilty to the felony, but he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor on Thursday.
The conviction forever disqualifies Rapada from holding any office in California.
Rapada’s arrest and subsequent court case threw the UMC development deal into turmoil. Originally, the county planned to sell the campus to a developer who outlined plans to transform the site into affordable housing, complete with a pharmacy, grocery store, and retail.
After Rapada’s arrest, the Fresno City Council revoked a key regulatory deal for the project, calling it “tainted,” and Fresno County put the building up for sale again.
Now, the city and county are in negotiations for the sale of the building, but the developer involved in the project prior to Rapada’s arrest has filed a lawsuit against both the city and county, alleging breach of contract and fraud.
Rapada’s attorney, Mark Broughton, declined to comment for this story. Quintero did not return a phone call and voicemail requesting comment.