Former SLO County developer pleads guilty to bribing late Supervisor Adam Hill
Editor’s note: This story mentions suicide.
The San Luis Obispo County developer accused of bribing late Supervisor Adam Hill in an elaborate corruption scheme and then defrauding Texas investors to pay for his lawyers pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge Monday.
The U.S. Department of Justice first charged Ryan Wright, formerly known as Ryan Petetit, with bribing Hill on Oct. 4, 2023. Then, that following December, the agency filed a second indictment alleging Wright defrauded investors to pay for his defense attorneys representing him in the bribery case.
Wright was charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, three counts of attempted bank fraud, one count of access device fraud, one count of conspiracy, one count of falsification of records and one count of obstruction of justice. He faced at least 35 years in federal prison.
Now, under his Sept. 9 plea agreement, Wright faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
He agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy. The other charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning he cannot be charged for those crimes again. In addition to prison time, he faces another three years of supervised release, at least a $250,000 fine and must pay at least $1.5 million in restitution, the agreement showed.
Wright officially entered his plea in court Monday. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 25, court records show.
Former SLO developer admits to bribing SLO County supervisor
According to the plea agreement, Wright admitted to bribing Hill in a “quid pro quo bribery scheme” from June 2014 through March 29, 2017, in which Write would pay Hill and Hill would help Wright secure approvals necessary for real estate development projects with Wright’s company, PB Companies.
Court records do not list Hill by name, but The Tribune independently confirmed the county supervisor mentioned in the records was indeed Hill, who died of an intentional drug overdose on Aug. 6, 2020.
Wright paid or arranged others to pay a total of $94,234 either to Hill directly or to Hill’s company, San Luis Consulting LLC.
The payments included at least one $10,000 wire transfer between Wright’s and Hill’s companies in 2016 and travel and tickets to a 2014 San Francisco Giants National League Championship Series game. Hill also received a $43,020 Volvo sedan and several thousand dollars in cash payments, Wright’s first indictment showed.
Wright also admitted his bribe payments toward Hill could influence county and city officials and the public, the plea agreement showed.
The charges relating to Wright defrauding Texas investors to pay the legal team fighting his bribery charges were dropped, according to the plea agreement.
According to that indictment, Wright is alleged to have solicited funds for a luxury home real estate development in Dripping Springs, Texas, and diverted investors’ money to pay for the lawyers he retained in the bribery investigation and for personal expenses.
Wright agreed to pay at least $1.5 million in restitution, the agreement showed, but officials can argue he pay more than $1.9 million.
Convicted SLO developer has history of violence, ‘double escrow scheme’
This is not Wright’s first time being convicted of a crime or being accused of fraudulent business practices.
In 2013, he was charged with misdemeanor inflicting corporal injury, but the charge was dismissed for unspecified reasons in 2014.
In November 2015, Wright drunkenly smashed his girlfriend’s head through a glass window in a domestic violence incident four days before Thanksgiving, according to court documents.
Wright was the CEO of PB Companies LLC at the time, but he he stepped down in December 2015 following the assault arrest.
PB Companies was involved in developing a number of high-profile properties around San Luis Obispo County, including the San Luis Obispo Public Market.
In November 2018, Wright pleaded no contest to five felony charges including inflicting corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, assault, false imprisonment and dissuading a witness.
Wright was sentenced to 270 days in San Luis Obispo County Jail. He attempted to serve his time at a “pay-to-stay” facility in Southern California, but a judge declined to grant him that option.
Then in 2019, he changed his last name from Petetit to Wright. His former girlfriend alleged he did so to hide his violent past.
A year later, a legal battle erupted between PB Companies and a Bakersfield-based developer Taylor Judkins over the SLO Public Market development.
First, PB Companies sued Judkins, alleging the developer engaged in fraud and mismanagement. The next day, Judkins sued back, alleging PB Companies engaged in a “double escrow scheme,” which accounted for a $700,000 loss for Judkins.
PB Companies was eventually ousted from the SLO Public Market project.
San Luis Obispo city officials also took Wright to court in 2015 to compel him to pay $13,200 in outstanding fines for violations on a residential property they said constitutes a public nuisance and had frustrated neighbors for several years.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 988. You can also call the Central Coast Hotline at 800-783-0607 for 24-7 assistance. To learn the warning signs of suicide, visit 988lifeline.org.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 11:31 AM.
