Joe Aklufi, who was arrested May 17, along with six other former Beaumont city officials and was the former legal counsel for Idyllwild Water District, has had his arraignment moved to Aug. 19. He is being tried for six felony counts of embezzlement.

At a preliminary hearing Thursday, May 26, Judge Becky Dugan set a new hearing and reduced Aklufi’s bail from $5 million to $500,000. As of Friday, he was still in the custody of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Along with Aklufi, Alan Kapanicas, former city manager, and William Aylward, former city finance director, had their hearings re-scheduled for August. Deepak Moorjani, the former head of public works, has a bail hearing scheduled for June 7, and David Dillon, former planning chief, Ernest Egger, head of economic development, and Francis Coe, the former police chief, have hearings set for July.