Additional charges filed against county supervisor

By Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee

El Dorado County Supervisor Ray Nutting faces new legal troubles as state and local prosecutors filed four misdemeanor charges today, alleging he improperly collected money to post bail after his May 28 arrest for felony political corruption.

Ray Nutting

Nutting, 53, surrendered voluntarily to authorities last week after District Attorney Vern Pierson charged him with four felony counts for allegedly failing to properly disclose some $70,000 in state income received for brush clearing on his family ranch.

Now new charges, filed by Pierson and state Attorney General Kamala Harris, allege that Nutting illegally solicited bail money from two El Dorado County employees and a local construction contractor. Harris’ office is assisting in the local investigation.

Nutting’s defense attorney, David Weiner, blasted the filing of new charges and says his client has done nothing wrong.

“We will see what this fishing expedition leads to now,” Weiner said today. “He is not guilty of anything – except being a political target. It’s becoming more and more clear.”