Contra Costa County Bribery Case Set for 2027 Trial

The case centers on allegations against David and Trent Sanson, executives at the Concord-based DeNova Homes, a major homebuilder in the region. They are accused of attempting to bribe an Antioch City Council member to secure favorable votes regarding their 533-unit "Aviano" housing development. Federal prosecutors allege the Sansons offered $10,000 to the council member. The situation escalated when David Sanson allegedly gave the official a travel coffee mug containing $5,000 in cash, an interaction that was reportedly recorded on video by the FBI. The investigation was initiated after the unnamed Antioch City Council member reported the alleged bribery attempt to the FBI. This cooperation allowed federal agents to gather evidence, including the video recordings of the meetings with the developers. The core of the dispute involved the city's Engineering and Development Services Division, which had withheld approval for a phase of the Aviano project. The city determined that the developers had not completed required public infrastructure improvements, which held up the release of bonds for the project. Both David and Trent Sanson have been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison for the conspiracy charge and ten years for the bribery count. DeNova Homes has stated that the company itself is not implicated in the investigation and that David Sanson had semi-retired in 2020 and is not involved in daily operations. A recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected a request from the defense to dismiss the case. This decision clears the way for the federal bribery case to move forward to a jury trial.