The mayor of South El Monte resigned Tuesday, two weeks after agreeing to plead guilty to a federal bribery charge for accepting money from a contractor doing business with the city, as well as accepting a bribe during an FBI undercover operation.
Luis Aguinaga submitted his resignation letter to city officials this morning, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.
"It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to have represented equally, residents and businesses in the community," Aguinaga wrote in the letter.
The City Council will meet on Aug. 23, when they are expected to take up the issue of who will fill the seat that Aguinaga has held for seven years.
Mayor Pro Tem Gloria Olmos has been handling the duties of mayor since officials learned of Aguinaga's intention to plead guilty, the Tribune reported.
Aguinaga admitted on July 28 that, from 2005 to September 2012, he took bribes from a contractor doing work for the city of South El Monte and the payments were rewards in connection with the approval of city contracts for the contractor.
The contractor -- identified in the court documents as a confidential witness -- made payments to Aguinaga about every two to three weeks, shortly after the contractor was paid by the city, according to the plea agreement filed in Los Angeles federal court.
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If the contractor failed to pay Aguinaga within a few days of being paid by the city, the mayor would call and ask for payments which totaled about $45,000, federal prosecutors said.
According to the plea agreement, the contractor made the bribe payments by placing cash in envelopes that were left in a bathroom at the South El Monte City Hall or were left inside the passenger side pocket of a car.
The bribery count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Aguinaga, 48, was directed to appear for arraignment in federal court on Wednesday, when he could enter his guilty plea.
