"Godfather of Camp Pendleton" pleads guilty to bribery

Natividad "Nate" Lara Cervantes, who reportedly referred to himself as the "Godfather of Camp Pendleton," pleaded guilty on January 21 to a kickback scheme in the awarding of construction and service contracts at the Marine base.

Also pleading guilty for their parts in the scheme were Hugo Hernandez Alonso and Bayani Yabut Abueg Jr. and their companies, Hugo Alonso, Inc., and MBR Associates, respectively.

The federal court accepted guilty pleas to bribery charges from Cervantes involving the awarding of at least six government construction and service contracts from 2008 to 2011.

According to court records, Cervantes received cash payments from Alonso and Abueg and remodeling work on "the Godfather's" condominium. Cervantes admitted to accepting a bribe of $25,000 to assist Alonso in getting a $3.5-million flooring job at Pendleton.