Guilty Pleas In Santa Clara County Concealed Gun Permit Scandal
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Two former managers of a Silicon Valley international security firm pleaded guilty Monday to charges related to a bribery scheme to obtain concealed firearms permits.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen said that Martin Nielsen, 42, the former executive protection and executive projects director of AS Solution, Inc., and Jack Stromgren, 43, the company's former director of operations for embedded projects, pleaded guilty during a hearing in the Hall of Justice.
They will be sentenced at later hearing.
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"Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Stromgren testified honestly at the grand jury with no promises made to them," Rosen said. "We are pleased that they have now, accordingly, taken responsibility for their parts in this bribery scheme."
Christian West, aka Christian Hansen, 51, the former CEO and founder of AS Solution, pleaded guilty to related charges in August.
Still facing pending felony charges are Santa Clara County Sheriff's Captain James Jensen, attorney Christopher Schumb, attorney Harpaul Nahal and business owner Michael Nichols.
The men have been charged for their alleged role in the bribery scheme to get the coveted and difficult-to-obtain permits for the company's employees.
Prosecutors said the defendants are accused of conspiring to engineer a $90,000 bribe -- $45,000 of which allegedly went to support Sheriff Laurie Smith's re-election in 2018 -- to obtain concealed firearms permits.
Nielsen was charged with three misdemeanors: conspiracy to solicit the acceptance of a bribe, conspiracy to file CCW license applications with false statements and making a campaign contribution in a false name.
Stromgren was charged with a misdemeanor count of conspiracy to file CCW license applications with false statements.