Ex-mayor, wife plead guilty to grand theft

A former mayor of Adelanto and his wife have taken plea bargains with jail time in an embezzlement case involving the Adelanto Little League.

During a hearing Thursday in Victorville Superior Court, James Nehmens and his wife, Kelly, pleaded guilty to grand theft by embezzlement and perjury.

Prosecutors suspect that the couple took thousands of dollars from the league's annual fireworks sales over a three-year period starting in 2004.

Authorities have previously said the total was more than $20,000.

Jim Nehmens was president of the league, and his wife was a board member during those three years.

An investigation is under way to determine the league's total losses and appropriate restitution, said Deputy District Attorney John Goritz, who prosecuted the case.

"We definitely want to get any money that was taken back to the Little League," he said Friday.

The Nehmenses will each face 180 days, or six months, in San Bernardino County jail.

They will be eligible to serve on weekends, Goritz said.

The perjury charge is in connection with James Nehmens' 2006 campaign disclosure statements.

Grover Porter, who represented the former mayor, and the Nehmenses could not be reached for comment.

James Nehmens resigned as mayor on March 31 in a written announcement, according to city officials.

"I have served with the utmost integrity, honesty, and professionalism, and I am proud of the
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many accomplishments the city has made during my tenure," wrote the eight-year councilman and mayor.

"This investigation has brought some undeserved stress and anxiety into our lives," Nehmens wrote. "After much consideration, Kelly and I have decided to focus on what's truly important: our marriage and our family."

mike.cruz@sbsun.com

(909) 386-3880