Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza pleads not guilty to attempted extortion charge

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of attempted extortion.

He was arraigned in court Thursday morning.
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Prosecutors accuse him of threatening to fire then-City Attorney Doug Sloan, unless Sloan worked exclusively for Esparza and the council majority.

Sloan told a few people at City Hall about the April conversation, and described it to Action News in a rare email.

Fresno city council president on extortion: 'No wrongdoing'

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Esparza's defense attorneys say he never intended to extort Sloan.

They also argue Sloan never should have discussed the conversation publicly since he was the attorney for city council.



A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for November 10.