BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ
Daily Post Staff Writer
A judge Wednesday (Jan. 21) declared a mistrial on the remaining 18 felonies against former San Mateo County Community College Chancellor Ron Galatolo after a jury earlier found him guilty of eight other charges.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe now has until March 6 to decide whether to retry Galatolo on the 18 counts, which include taking bribes from contractors, misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest, and embezzlement over a 10-year period.
On Tuesday, the jury found Galatolo guilty of four counts of tax evasion and four counts of perjury. But when they left on Tuesday, they still had 18 counts to decide.
The jurors said Wednesday they were hung and that nothing could help them reach a conclusion on the 18 counts, Wagstaffe said. The jury was split 9-3, 8-4 and 6-6 on various counts, the DA said.
Chuck Smith, Galatolo’s attorney, said he would have preferred an acquittal on the remaining 18 counts.
“I will try to convince the DA that it would be a waste of time to go forward on the 18 counts because they should realize that, based upon the results of this trial. There is no reasonable likelihood that 12 people will ever find that my client is guilty on these 18 counts. But it’s their decision and I’ll deal with it no matter what it is,” Smith said.
Smith said he didn’t oppose the eight charges that Galatolo was found guilty of committing. Those charges included two counts of Galatolo lying to the DMV when he claimed he bought a 1963 Corvette and a 2006 Chevy SSR at low prices. When he registered the Corvette, he claimed he bought it for $2,500 even though it was worth $50,000, Deputy DA Joseph Cannon said during closing arguments.
Galatolo’s trial began on Oct. 29 and closing arguments ended on Jan. 7, with the jury deliberating for nine days. Jurors reviewed many emails and text messages between Galatolo and contractors, as well as photos of the trips Galatolo took with them.
Cannon told the jurors that this was a case of greed in which Galatolo chose to maintain his friendships with contractors and ensure they were chosen for district projects in return for gifts such as seats for sporting and concerts and foreign trips.
Galatolo, 62, of Menlo Park, was chancellor from 2001 until 2019. The district is comprised of Skyline College in San Bruno, Canada College in Redwood City and College of San Mateo.
During his time as chancellor, voters approved bond measures totaling nearly $1 billion. The bond measures were meant to pay for new buildings and renovate existing ones. The DA accused Galatolo of taking bribes from the contractors on those projects.
Smith previously said the county has made his client look like a “privileged white party boy” and the evidence has been distort- ed. Galatolo’s friendships were not a crime, Smith previously told the jury. Cannon also claimed that Galatolo lied by failing to claim the gifts he received from the contractors.
Smith told the jurors that Galatolo was on trial not for a crime but for making a mistake because he was never trained how to fill out tax forms related to his job as chancellor.
Cannon countered that it wasn’t a mistake because Galatolo filled out the forms deceptively several times. Galatolo was trying to hide the luxurious lifestyle he had obtained by lying, Cannon said.
Galatolo faces 10 years in prison for the eight counts for which he has been convicted, Wagstaffe said. But Smith hopes to get the charges reduced to misdemeanors at sentencing.
Galatolo remains out of jail on $150,000 bail and will be back in court on March 6 for the DA’s decision whether to retry the hung charges.