Office of the District Attorney - Maggie Fleming, District Attorney
NEWS RELEASE
Earlier today, Judge Kaleb Cockrum sentenced 50-year-old Patrick William Francis McTigue, of Fortuna, to serve one year in jail, two years of felony probation and to pay restitution to his numerous victims. The sentencing follows an October 13th hearing where McTigue pled guilty to crimes committed while he was working as an inspector for the Humboldt County Building and Planning Department: one count of felony bribery (Penal Code section [PC] 68) and two counts of felony grand theft (PC 487) involving three separate victims. Additional counts of the same crimes involving three additional victims will be included in the order requiring McTigue to pay restitution. The prosecution agreed to this resolution to secure restitution for all of McTigue’s victims and to ensure that convictions will prevent McTigue from obtaining similar employment in the future.
Throughout 2017 and 2018, McTigue used his position as a County inspector to solicit bribes from individuals seeking permits for commercial cannabis operations. He defrauded his victims by agreeing to expedite their applications in return for money or other assets. McTigue defrauded victims of over $120,000 during his employment with the County.
McTigue faced a maximum sentence of over 5 years in prison. In prosecuting the case, Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Steven Steward argued that incarceration was warranted because the crimes harmed not only individuals but also the public’s trust in government. At the conclusion of this morning’s sentencing, Judge Cockrum remanded McTigue into custody to begin serving his one-year jail sentence. Deputy Public Defender Casey Russo represented McTigue.