Former Westminster planning commissioner charged with soliciting $15,000 bribe

A former member of Westminster’s planning commission was arraigned Tuesday on charges of soliciting and receiving a $15,000 bribe in exchange for helping a business owner get a liquor license, according to federal officials.

Dave Phuong Dinh Vo of Westminster pleaded not guilty, but in a plea agreement made public by federal prosecutors and signed by Vo, he admitted to soliciting the money in June 2011 from a confidential informant working with the FBI.

Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI, said that Vo has agreed to plead guilty at a later court date.

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Citing the U.S. attorney’s office, she said: “The practice in this district is for the magistrate judge at an arraignment to take a ‘not guilty’ plea from a defendant and assign the case to a district judge for all further proceedings, including the entry of a guilty plea.�

In August 2011, Vo received payments totaling $15,000 over the course of four meetings, after pushing the liquor license through the city’s approval process, according to officials.

Vo, 42, served as a planning commissioner from early 2009 through late August 2011, a role that allowed him to influence issuing conditional -use permits.

“Public officials like Mr. Vo must serve the interests of the public at all times,� said U.S. Atty. Eileen M. Decker. “The people of Westminster deserve to have confidence that their government is granting permits based on merit rather than those willing to pay bribes.�

FBI officials investigated the case against Vo, whose bribery charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

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