How an Antioch councilmember became an FBI informant, driving latest corruption indictment

OAKLAND — In an indictment announced Tuesday, federal prosecutors accused the former owner and vice president of a Contra Costa homebuilding company of estimating how much it would take to buy an Antioch city councilmember — about $10,000.

But after they allegedly offered the cash in discreetly hidden stacks of bills, prosecutors say David Sanson and his son, Trent Sanson, underestimated the councilmember whom they expected to bribe. The politician had already gone to the FBI, authorities say.

Now, the father-and-son duo of DeNova Homes have become the latest to be charged with corruption in the Bay Area.

David Sanson, 60, and Trent Sanson, 33, were indicted on charges of conspiracy and paying bribes to the so-far unidentified councilmember, who reported the alleged request for favorable treatment for a housing project to the FBI and apparently set up a sting. Prosecutors say the Sansons were willing to pay the councilmember $10,000 and David Sanson later gave $5,000 concealed in a DeNova Homes blood-orange coffee thermos.

The Sansons made their initial court appearance in Oakland Tuesday morning, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The indictment filed against them April 3 alleges that the councilmember-turned-FBI-informant recorded both bribes “at the direction of the FBI” and that the defendants expected help with their already-approved 533-home development plans in Antioch, known as the Aviano project.

The goal was “to get the Antioch Engineering and Development Services Division to affirm completion and release the bonds associated with the project,” the news release says. The meetings allegedly occurred in 2024, starting in late May.

When reached Tuesday, Mike Barbanica, who was on the city council at the time, refused to say whether or not he was the councilmember who went to the FBI after being allegedly bribed. “I wouldn’t have any comment on any federal investigation whatsoever,” the former Pittsburg police officer said repeatedly. “When this unfolds in court, you’ll have all your answers.”

Lori Ogorchock, who served on the council until the end of 2024, flatly said that she wasn’t the person whom the Sansons allegedly tried to bribe.

“I didn’t even know about it until you just told me,” Ogorchock told a reporter for this newspaper.

The other members of the Antioch City Council at the time — Tamisha Torres-Walker, Monica Wilson and former Mayor Lamar Thorpe-Hernandez — could not be reached for comment by early Tuesday evening.

In a statement, an attorney representing David Sanson described him as a “respected business leader and philanthropist with a 30-year track record of building homes and supporting communities across Northern California.”

“We are reviewing the government’s allegations closely and caution against any rush to judgment based on mere allegations that present a one-sided story. We are confident the facts will show that Dave is innocent, and that he was unfairly targeted without cause to be dragged out of near retirement from out-of-state, to be trapped into a web of deceit manufactured to ‘take down’ Dave and his family by a controversial local politico, whose own suspect personal motivations we look forward to exposing,” wrote attorney Winston Y. Chan, who did not identify the councilmember.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that Dave’s reputation — built on a decades-long career of creating opportunities for residents of cities like Antioch, that have struggled for years to keep up with housing needs and other challenges — is being dragged through the mud,” the attorney wrote. “Dave and our team look forward to addressing this matter in court.”

It was unclear who was representing Trent Sanson, of Walnut Creek, the company’s former vice president. He could not be reached for comment.

On Tuesday, Ogorchock said that she also was approached by Trent Sanson in a text on May 31, where he expressed a desire to talk about concerns he had about the status of the Aviano project. The two met up for coffee on June 5, Ogorchock said, and while she said she doesn’t remember what they discussed, she was adamant that Trent Sanson never tried to bribe her.

“It was not unheard of for a developer — and it could be any developer — who would reach out to a councilmember to discuss a project they wanted to bring to town,” or a problem with an ongoing project, Ogorchock said.

Of the allegations made public Tuesday: “There is a process that needs to be worked through, and due process will come out in the end,” Ogorchock said.

There is no word yet whether the indictment is related to the recent raid on prominent Contra Costa political consultant Mary Jo Rossi, who did campaign consultant work for a committee sponsored by DeNova. Rossi was not arrested and has not been charged with any crimes. She has not responded to requests for comment.

DeNova homes is a prominent developer around Contra Costa, with projects that occasionally drew controversy. One such project in Martinez resulted in competing ballot measures, and a lawsuit filed by a group against DeNova and the city, seeking to stop a development project. It was settled in 2019.

The company’s general counsel, Dana Tsubota, said in a statement Tuesday that “while Mr. Sanson has been an important figure in the company’s history, he semi-retired in 2020 when he moved to Montana and he is no longer involved in the leadership or daily operations.”

“Importantly, DeNova Homes is not implicated in the government’s investigation,” Tsubota added. “DeNova remains financially sound and fully focused on delivering for our customers, partners, and communities without disruption.”

The company’s current president, according to Tsubota’s statement, is Ryan Partlett.

DeNova Homes also has a charitable arm, the nonprofit Yellow Roof, which has pursued affordable housing developments in Antioch, Pittsburg, Clayton, Oakley, as well as in some areas of Solano County.

It has been quite a year for corruption prosecutions in the Bay Area, in particular the East Bay.

In January, father-and-son duo David and Andy Duong, owners of California Waste Solutions, were charged with working with a political consultant to bribe Oakland’s recently recalled mayor, Sheng Thao. The indictment charged both Andy and David, Thao, and Thao’s longtime romantic partner Andre Jones.

Antioch is still reeling from an ongoing police scandal. Last March, a former Antioch officer, Morteza Amiri, was convicted of depriving the civil rights of a citizen during a patrol shift. He and a dozen other ex-Antioch and Pittsburg police officers have pleaded guilty or no contest to a range of federal and state offenses, with another ex-Antioch officer set for trial on steroid distribution later this month.