Ex-chief of huge pension fund guilty of bribery; South Lake Tahoe businessman still faces charges

The former head of the nation’s largest pension fund admitted Friday that he took bribes, including hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffed in paper bags and a shoe box, and helped an associate collect millions in a fraudulent investment scheme.

Fred Buenrostro Jr. pleaded guilty in San Francisco federal court to fraud and bribery charges stemming from his time as chief executive of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System from 2002 to 2008.

In his plea agreement, Buenrostro said that in exchange for his help Alfred Villalobos, a former CalPERS board member, took him on a trip around the world, gave him casino chips and paid for his wedding in Lake Tahoe, California.

Villalobos denied the allegations through his attorney Friday.

Buenrostro’s guilty plea arises from a years long investigation into the role of money-management firm middlemen, called placement agents, in helping clients win investment business from a California pension system that controls $300 billion.............read the complete story