Galatolo guilty of 8 charges, could get up to 10 years in prison

"A jury Tuesday (Jan. 20) found former San Mateo County Community College Chancellor Ron Galatolo guilty of tax evasion, but has not decided yet whether he took any bribes or misappropriated district money. Galatolo was found guilty of eight counts of tax evasion and is facing a maximum of 10 years in prison, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. The jury also found the educator innocent of one count of perjury."

"Jurors will continue to deliberate on the remaining 18 charges against Galatolo today. Galatolo, 62, of Menlo Park, is facing 27 felonies, including tax evasion, perjury, conflict of interest, misuse of public funds and embezzlement. Galatolo was chancellor from 2001 until 2019, during which voters approved bond issues totaling nearly $1 billion. The purpose of the bond measures was to pay for new buildings and renovate existing ones. The DA accused Galatolo of taking bribes from the contractors on those projects."

"Defense lawyer Charles Smith previously told the jurors that Galatolo is on trial not for a crime but making a mistake because he was never trained how to fill out tax forms related to his job as chancellor. But Deputy District Attorney Joseph Cannon said Galatolo is a CPA who doesn't make mistakes on his tax forms. Galatolo allegedly lied to the DMV when he filed a 1963 Corvette and a 2006 Chevy SSR, claiming he bought them at a low price. When he registered the Corvette, he claimed he bought it for $2,500 even though it was worth $50,000, Cannon said during closing arguments."

Ron Galatolo was found guilty of eight counts of tax evasion and faces up to 10 years in prison. The jury has not yet decided on 18 remaining charges, bringing total allegations to 27 felonies including perjury, conflict of interest, misuse of public funds and embezzlement. Galatolo served as chancellor from 2001 until 2019 while bond measures totaling nearly $1 billion funded campus building and renovation projects across three colleges. Prosecutors allege he took bribes from contractors and failed to disclose gifts and income, including underreporting vehicle values on DMV filings. Defense counsel argued tax form errors resulted from lack of training. Jurors already acquitted him of one perjury count.

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