LOS ANGELES — A former official in Los Angeles County’s real estate division who was involved in awarding contracts to developers and contractors was sentenced Monday to two years probation for lying to FBI agents and filing a false tax return in an effort to cover up his receipt of bribesThomas M. Shepos, 72, of Palmdale, was also ordered to pay $110,021 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As part of his plea deal, Shepos agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation that led to the conviction of the developer, papers filed in Los Angeles federal court indicate. Gabaee was pushing to have Los Angeles County enter into a 10-year, $45 million lease to rent space in the mall — which the developer owned through one of his companies and was renovating — for the Department of Public Social Services and other county departments.
Beginning in 2010 or 2011, Gabaee began giving Shepos monthly bribe payments of $1,000 or more in exchange for Shepos providing Gabaee with non-public information and preferential treatment.