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Adams County Assessor Pleads No Contest To Official Misconduct

BRIGHTON, Colo. (CBS4)- Adams County Assessor Gil Reyes pleaded no contest to official misconduct for improperly evaluating properties for a campaign donor.

Reyes received one year of deferred judgement for the plea to one count of misdemeanor first-degree misconduct.

Reyes was charged with nine misdemeanor counts for first-degree official misconduct for using proper methodology in appraising properties for Majestic Realty Co. The California-based warehouse developer is a contributor to Reyes' political campaigns. Majestic owns nine warehouses in Aurora.

The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The official misconduct charge states that a person "with intent to obtain a benefit for any person or maliciously cause harm to another, unlawfully and knowingly refrained from performing a duty imposed upon him by law."

In this case, Reyes is convicted of abusing his position as an elected official by not following standard methodology for evaluating properties owned by Majestic Realty.

In 2011, the State Board of Equalization ordered reappraisals of the properties after an investigation concluded that Reyes had ordered reduced valuations that resulted in tax reductions for properties associated with donors to his campaigns. The board ordered that the properties be reassessed.

The case was investigated by the District Attorney's Office in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "After extensive investigation and evaluation by our office and the FBI, we decided that this was the best resolution of the case," said District Attorney Dave Young. He noted that each case must be evaluated based on the strength of the evidence and witnesses.

Reyes pleaded guilty in 2011 to an unclassified misdemeanor charge of failure to report gifts of sports tickets he received from Majestic Realty's vice president. He was fined $300 plus $217 in court costs.

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