A former college professor and presidential advisor was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for defrauding the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians, the tribe announced last Friday. David Heslop, 76, a former Claremont College professor and advisor to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, pleaded guilty to one count of felony conspiracy to commit bribery. He was sentenced to 21 months and ordered to pay $300,000 in restitution. Heslop and two others— Gary Kovall, 67, the tribe’s former general counsel, and Paul Bardos, 58, a general contractor—pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion charges. They admitted that they steered contracts worth $2.8 million at the Spotlight 29 Casino to companies they controlled. The tribe puts the damages at $20 million.
