By Ana Gomez Salcido
San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis took the stand this Wednesday at the trial of a Mexican businessman charged with funneling illegal contributions into several local campaigns, including Dumanis’ 2012 run for San Diego Mayor.
“I wanted to get back in court, but this wasn’t what I had in mind,” Dumanis jokingly said on Wednesday morning at the trial held at the San Diego Federal Court. Dumanis was subpoenaed to testify by Azano’s defense lawyers.
The DA was asked about her relationship with Jose Susumo Azano Matsura, and Ernesto “Ernie” Encinas, a former San Diego Police detective also charged in the federal case. Federal prosecutors have charged Azano, Encinas, and San Diego political consultant Marco Polo Cortes with orchestrating a scheme to funnel money from Azano into local campaigns. Under federal law, only U.S. citizens can contribute to elections. Azano is a Mexican national.
Dumanis said under oath that she only met Azano twice on a “meet and greet” situation, as is for a candidate during a campaign. Dumanis also claimed that she met Encinas when she was a Deputy DA and that they had cases in which they worked together.
The first “meet and greet” Dumanis had with Azano was in December 2011 at one of his homes in Coronado.
“Ernie [Encinas] introduced us at a lunch at Azano’s home. I hadn’t spoken to him before that,” Dumanis said while on the witness stand. “I don’t remember what we talked about. What I do remember were his cars because they were colorful and sporty and I like cars,” Dumanis added.
Dumanis said the meeting at Azano’s house was nothing special and that she met him again at another “meet and greet” with Sheriff Bill Gore and Encinas in Gore’s office. The DA acknowledged that she initiated the “meet and greet” at Sheriff Gore’s office on March 2, 2012 according to another defense witness’ testimony.
“As an elected official, we do that a lot; it was a meet and greet,” Dumanis said.
At the time of the second meeting, Dumanis said she knew that Azano had helped with her campaign.
“I believed [Azano] was helping with the campaign. My [campaign fundraiser] Kelli [Maruccia] told me that,” Dumanis testified. “I never had contact with him again,” the District Attorney said.
Dumanis was asked if she knew Azano’s immigration status at the time he was helping with her campaign.
“I believed him to be a U.S. citizen,” Dumanis said.
The DA also mentioned that she never spoke directly to Azano about any contributions to her campaign.
During the trial, Dumanis was also questioned about a letter of recommendation she sent to the University of San Diego for Azano’s son, Edward Susumo Azano Hester, also a defendant in the corruption case.
The letter of recommendation is part of the government’s evidence that accuses Azano of funneling $600,000 in cash and services to Dumanis and other San Diego mayoral candidates in 2012, including Bob Filner, the eventual winner of the mayoral election. Filner later resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Dumanis said that Kelli Maruccia, had told her about the request for a letter of recommendation for Azano’s son, and that it was requested by Encinas. Dumanis said that she never talked to Encinas or Azano about the letter, and that all the communication involving that letter was through Kelli Maruccia.
Dumanis also mentioned that she is regularly asked to write similar letters for students trying to get into universities, law schools, or applying for grants, and that financial status doesn’t factor into her decision to support the student.
After approximately 90 minutes on the stand, Dumanis was released from the trial and is not subject to recall.