A judge Wednesday reduced a felony charge to a misdemeanor against one of two former supervisors from the California Department of Justice who were charged with diverting about $12,500 in government funds.
James Biscailuz, now 57, pleaded no contest last March to a felony count of theft by an employee, but was allowed to request that the case be lowered to a misdemeanor after he completed 36 hours of community service and paid a total of $12,500 in restitution with co-defendant Eric Bunde, according to Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins.
Bunde, now 57, pleaded no contest in January 2024 to the same charge, and was immediately sentenced to two years probation and 36 days of community service, along with the restitution.
Bunde was barred from holding a government job during his probationary period, and can ask a judge to reduce the felony count to a misdemeanor when he completes his probation.
According to a statement read in court by his attorney last year, Biscailuz agreed to the use of a company he owned as a “pass-through” for the money from Los Angeles Regional Criminal Information Clearinghouse (LA Clear) — which was headed at the time by Bunde — for social media services through Bunde’s consulting company.
“The People assert that James Biscailuz knew that Eric Bunde was not allowed to be paid for his social media work by LA CLEAR, and that he intentionally aided and abetted Eric Bunde in unlawfully taking LA CLEAR’s funds. James Biscailuz pleads no contest to this allegation,” according to the statement, which described the factual basis for the plea.
The statement noted that Biscailuz — who worked for the Department of Justice’s Los Angeles regional office — agreed to the arrangement as a favor to Bunde, whom he had known before. Biscailuz “did not retain any of the money paid by LA CLEAR,” was not paid for allowing his company to act as a pass-through and did not do anything related to the pass-through during working hours, according to the statement.
In a January 2023 statement announcing the criminal case, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “The California Department of Justice’s work is built on the highest standards of ethics and integrity, and the alleged actions of these two defendants violates these standards. Breaking the law to line your own pockets, especially while in a position of power, is unacceptable. Trust is a fundamental part of law enforcement and we will not stand by when this trust is broken.”