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.

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'

Fresno's city council president Nelson Esparza spoke on the attempted extortion charges Thursday, saying he's not going anywhere and he's not guilty.

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.