In a discovery on Thursday May 17, The Leader learned that Oakdale City Council hopeful Scott Jaspar was arrested on suspicion of rape in December 2007.
Jaspar, whose true name is Clifford Scott Jaspar, was one of three candidates interviewed on Tuesday, May 15 for the vacant council seat that opened when Jason Howard resigned in April. During the council interview Jaspar disclosed a 1990 embezzlement that led to his termination from Merrill Lynch but never mentioned the 2007 sexual assault arrest that occurred in Nevada County. The case also included a charge of penetration with a foreign object.
According to a 2007 Nevada County Union newspaper report about the crime, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department stated Jaspar knew the victim and had offered her $200 to pose nude for an Internet photo shoot. While he was taking the pictures, Jaspar reportedly became aroused and raped the woman.
The victim, who was 20 at the time, was said to be a relative who knew Jaspar her entire life.
The rape and other charges were later reduced to one count of battery in 2008 and Jaspar was sentenced to 100 days of county jail time.
When contacted on Thursday morning, Jaspar said he didn’t want to talk about the incident and was surprised the arrest had been discovered. He stated he was going to withdraw from consideration for council and not run in November due to the matter becoming known.
“I really prefer to drop this because of my business,” Jaspar said. “This is an old matter and I had it expunged from my record. I’m now going to drop from the race.” (See related story.)
Jaspar said at the time of the arrest he was going through a divorce and accepted a plea bargain on the battery charge for “personal reasons.”
During his May 15 interview for the open city council position, Jaspar, now 54, disclosed that he was terminated from Merrill Lynch due to a 1990 $2000 theft from a client. Jaspar told the council that he has turned his life around since then.
New York Stock Exchange records show that in 1991 Jaspar consented to a finding by a hearing panel that he “engaged in conduct inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade in that he misappropriated funds belonging to a customer of his member firm employer.”
In May 1990 a customer gave Jasper $2008 for a deposit but Jaspar used the funds to have a cashier’s check made out to himself. When the customer questioned him, Jaspar reportedly misled the customer into believing that a separate deposit into the account was the one made.
In addition to his termination, Jaspar has been barred from membership or working for anyone associated with the New York Stock Exchange.
“I’m surprised Scott hid the Merrill Lynch thing,” said Oakdale Mayor Pat Paul on the Wednesday after the interviews. “He should have come forward with that.”
When learning of Jaspar possibly withdrawing on Thursday because of the rape arrest, Paul stated she was shocked that he would have tried running for the council.
“I had my concerns about the embezzlement,” said Councilman Tom Dunlop when informed, “and now this?”
Jaspar is the second candidate this month to withdraw from the process. Former Oakdale Treasurer Mike Murray abruptly resigned his treasurer position and removed his name from consideration for the council on May 9.
