https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/11/02/major-guilty-plea-in-santa-clara-county-gun-permit-corruption-case/

A man charged in a landmark corruption case that accused top Santa Clara County sheriff commanders of favor-trading concealed-gun permits has pleaded guilty, becoming the first indicted defendant convicted from a scandal that ultimately led to former sheriff Laurie Smith’s ouster under heavy political and legal scrutiny.

Michael Adrian Nichols, 48, a Milpitas-based gunmaker, admitted in court Thursday to one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to solicit a bribe in connection with a 2020 indictment alleging that he — along with a political fundraiser for Smith, a sheriff’s captain and an attorney friend — brokered a deal for a large donation supporting Smith’s 2018 re-election to obtain concealed-gun permits for a security firm’s employees.