Fountain Valley man agrees to plead guilty to bribing ex-cop who runs illegal Santa Ana casinos – Orange County Register

A Fountain Valley man has agreed to plead guilty to three counts in federal court after admitting to operating four illegal casinos in Santa Ana and bribing a former police officer, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Niem Ngoc Ha, 47, will officially plead guilty to bribery, operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracy charges in the coming weeks, US Attorneys said in a press release.

In the plea agreement, Ha admitted to paying former Santa Ana Police Officer Steven Lopez a total of $128,000, the bureau said. Lopez pleaded guilty to taking the bribes in 2020 and is scheduled to be sentenced in 2023.

I have received federal indictments because these crimes are expressly prohibited by federal law, US Attorney’s spokesman Ciaran McEvoy said. Federal jurisdiction applies to bribery when an agency — in this case the Santa Ana Police Department — receives more than $10,000 from the federal government, McEvoy added.

The $128,000 bribe was paid in cash, McEvoy said.