El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting was arrested on Tuesday for four felony counts stemming from state grant money he received for clearing brush from his 340-acre property. Nutting collected more than $70,000 in California Forest Improvement Grants between 2003 and 2009, and failed to disclose the money on state financial disclosure forms.
Nutting cleared much of the brush from his property himself and collected payment for the work. According to CalFire, payments are routinely made to property owners who clear brush themselves. However, what is abnormal are the accusations made by the District Attorney’s office, who claims that Nutting submitted a fraudulent invoice to receive additional funding.
Nutting had submitted a proposal for $50,000 in additional work on the ranch.
Nutting, who did not recuse himself from votes that could impact the grant program or groups associated with its administration, is accused of taxpayers’ money for personal use. However, Nutting’s attorney refutes those charges, saying that the six-time supervisor is just a farmer, not a “paper guy.”
Read the full article at the Sacramento Bee.