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San Luis Obispo developer pleads guilty to conspiracy, admits bribery

September 16, 2024

Ryan Wright, also know as Ryan Petetit

Editor’s note: CalCoastNews is referring to developer Ryan Petetit, who changed his name to Ryan Wright during the case, as Ryan Petetit-Wright.

By KAREN VELIE

Developer Ryan Petetit-Wright has admitted conspiring with former San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill and others to deprive local citizens of honest services through a pay-to-play scheme. His admission came in a plea agreement with Justice Department officials on Friday.

“The court vacates the trial in this matter as to this defendant only,” according to the minutes of the hearing.

FBI agents arrested Ryan Petetit-Wright on Oct. 30, 2023 on a three-count indictment charging him with conspiracy, falsification of records and obstruction of justice. Petetit-Wright and his partner John Belsher’s business, PB Companies, were alleged to have paid Hill nearly $100,000 in bribes and gifts.

A superseding indictment filed on Dec. 20, 2023, included 18 additional charges, including wire fraud, bank fraud and access device fraud. The additional counts related to a proposed development in Texas.

In June 2024, federal prosecutors informed Petetit-Wright “that it was likely that they would file additional tax charges along with additional access device fraud charges, bank fraud charges and money laundering charges,” according to court documents.

But, instead, a fourth federal prosecutor joined the case. He filed an in-camera interview and three documents under seal, not available to the public, in the past three weeks.

Petetit-Wright had pleaded not guilty last year. But, Friday, he appeared with his attorney Gerald Salseda in court. He waived his right to a trial, and pled guilty to one criminal count: conspiracy.

Petetit-Wright admitted that from approximately June 2014 until March 29, 2017, he and Hill engaged in a quid pro quo bribery scheme. Hill would use his “official position to help defendant secure approvals necessary for PB Companies’ real estate development projects,” the charge read.

Hill “would, among other things, advise and seek to influence other public officials, including city officials and individuals appointed to City of San Luis Obispo commissions, to perform official acts beneficial to PB Companies’ real estate development projects,” according to the plea agreement. “Defendant admits that his bribe payments to Hill were material acts; that is, they had a natural tendency to influence, or were capable of influencing, the county and its officials, the city and its officials, and the public.”

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years supervised release, and restitution of between $1.5 and $1.9 million.

Petetit-Wright agreed to be truthful at all times with the court, complete a financial disclosure statement, and admit to his crimes. As long as Petetit-Wright complies with the agreement, prosecutors will not charge him with other crimes including violations of criminal tax laws from 2018 through 2022.

Petetit-Wright remains detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

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Somewhere, Heidi is mighty nervous.


43

Tick tock, John Belsher.


49

An impressive string of felony charges, likely with very strong evidence, reduced to a guilty plea to conspiracy. I assume he has provided a very detailed revelation of other perps who have rolled in the mud of corruption. Ryan is talking. And talking.


53

Good Morning Johnson, Litchig, Condron and others will the defendants please rise. The noose is getting smaller and tighter, so your choices are now run rabbit run or own up to what you have done.


26

Can’t wait to see what other SLO scumbags go down. Maybe a county supervisor? Developer or two? Maybe a Realtor that was making additional payments for Petit/Belsher to that angry wanna be tough guy with short man complex Adam “cocaine” Hill.


61

The Dirty Don needs to go next!


18

“Petetit Wright agreed to be truthful at all times with the court, complete a financial disclosure statement, and admit to his crimes.” We all know he’s probably incapable of being truthful at all times with the court, so they must be relying on that so they can lock him up again because he is undoubtedly a clear and present danger to the public.


51

Thank you Karen and CCN for keeping on top of this story and being the catalyst in bringing down this house of cards. In my opinion, you are the reason charges were even brought against Petetit.


76

The dominoes are starting to fall…


75

Land Developers are called “Land Rapists” for many good reasons.


15

That seems a little hyperbolic – presumably you live somewhere that was once wilderness, then farm/ranch land, and is now the house you call home. A land developer did that, it’s a good thing.


3

Honest developers who do not pay off government officials and their associated consultants can build those houses too, and with better quality, because they’re honest. But the developers who participate in pay-to-play, who often have no construction experience, have a competitive advantage in the City of SLO, County of SLO, and the City of Atascadero and probably other jurisdictions as well and they leave behind them a defective product whose buyers are screwed. There was a developer from southern California who actually installed all the erosion control measures per plan and code, I had to tell him that this was not enforced on any local developer with connections to the city. They also require city planners and inspectors, at least in Atascadero, to act as project managers when their incompetence comes to light with absolutely no cost recovery to the city. These people will use 100x more staff time than an honest developer, and I’m not exaggerating. And if they don’t get these free services they will go to the city councilpersons and claim staff is not being “business friendly”. Atascadero’s next mayor is the poster-child for enabling this behavior


5

The post I originally replied to made no distinction between honest and corrupt developers – obviously one is good, and one is bad. I don’t think honest developers should be called ‘rapists’.


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