Thankfully, the act of squandering over $100,000 in public money for a personal gambling spree is not without consequences.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel Nishigaya has sentenced former County Supervisor George Shirakawa to county jail for one year. His time behind bars will be followed up by three years of probation, according to investigative reporter Karen de Sa of San Jose Mercury News.
Shirakawa sentenced to full year in county jail with one day credit for time served.
— Karen de Sa (@KarendeSa1) November 9, 2013
One year county jail plus three years probation for former supervisor Shirakawa. He’s taken straight from the courtroom to begin serving.
— Karen de Sa (@KarendeSa1) November 9, 2013
Shirakawa’s attorneys attempted to secure community service instead of jail time but were unsuccessful in their efforts.
Shirakawa resigned from his post in March of this year, ending a career in public service that included time as a school board member and city council in addition to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
In September, PublicCEO alerted our readers to the fact that Shirakawa had asked that taxpayers cover his legal expenses after facing a number of felonies and misdemeanors regarding the misappropriation of taxpayer funding. Read more about that here.
According to NBC Bay Area, Shirakawa is the first county official to face felony charges in over 25 years.
Shirakawa still has to face another sentencing hearing regarding a false impersonation charge, tied to phony campaign mailer.