Aleman refutes charges in court
Not guilty, says former official

Mike Cruz, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 07/30/2008 11:03:13 PM PDT

Sharply dressed in a gray suit, former Assistant Assessor Adam Aleman stood out among the working-class families in the courtroom where he was arraigned Wednesday.

Aleman, sitting next to his fiancee, rose from a wooden fold-up seat at the back when Judge John Martin called his case in San Bernardino Superior Court.

In minutes, Aleman and his lawyer, Grover Porter, entered not-guilty pleas on all charges and allegations. Sept. 30 was set as Aleman's next court date.

Aleman and fiancee Kelly Kuntz then left the courtroom and went down the elevator to exit the Central Courthouse.

After the proceedings, Aleman said he had no comment about his case or county Assessor Bill Postmus, whose office has been the focus of an investigation into possible political corruption.

Prosecutors confirmed their investigation has not slowed, even though no other suspects have been arrested in the case and no other charges have been added to the criminal complaint against Aleman.

"Our investigation is still ongoing as to the entire matter," said Deputy District Attorney John Goritz outside the courthouse.

Aleman and his former boss, Postmus, have been swept up in scandal since the release of a grand jury report June 30. Court records unsealed the next day show law-enforcement officials believed Aleman attempted to mislead the grand jury.

Aleman was charged with six felony counts involving the destruction of evidence, altering of documents sought by the grand jury and vandalism. If convicted on all charges, Aleman faces a maximum of 18 years in state prison.

Prosecutors would not say whether Aleman had been cooperative with them nor discuss any details of the case.

"The charges are what they are," said Goritz, who is prosecuting the case. "And we plan to prove them beyond a reasonable doubt."

Goritz said no timelines had been established for the case.

Porter did not return a phone call for comment.

According to a search-warrant affidavit, an executive secretary told investigators that Aleman approached her on Jan. 11 and said changes were needed for meeting minutes.

Aleman said he told the secretary that "he found some blatant errors and he wanted to be 100 percent accurate for the grand jury," according to the warrant affidavit.

Authorities also believe Aleman destroyed his boss's laptop by opening it up and removing the hard drive in 2006.

Porter has represented other area officials in legal trouble.

Porter has represented former Adelanto Mayor James Nehmens and his wife, Kelly Nehmens, as well as former Colton Councilmen Ramon Hernandez. Both the Nehmenses and Hernandez pleaded guilty in their cases.

Porter also represents Danial Tidwell, the son of former Sheriff Floyd Tidwell, in an ongoing case stemming from a countywide bail-bonds investigation.