March 7, 2007: The Natomas Unified School District agrees to pay nearly $13.4 million - a record $326,400 an acre - for 41 acres of farmland in the unincorporated Natomas area.
April 28, 2007: Frank C. Harding Jr., a top Natomas school official closely involved in the land sale, acknowledges he granted five no-bid contracts worth $433,900 to a construction management firm he founded.
May 19, 2007: A Bee investigation reveals that the property's appraised value of $24.7 million relied on hypothetical assumptions that inflated the property's worth by millions.
Aug. 22, 2007: Harding is arrested on felony conflict-of-interest charges.
Aug. 5, 2008: Harding, who was sentenced to community service in lieu of jail time, agrees to pay the Natomas district $32,553 in restitution.
Aug. 30, 2008: Saying it has concerns about the $13.4 million purchase price, the Natomas district hires a malpractice lawyer to discuss remedies with the deal's participants including the seller, a partnership headed by developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos.
May 26, 2009:The Sacramento grand jury says the district paid six times what the land was worth, and the sale should be investigated by local, state and federal authorities.
Sept. 17, 2009: The Natomas district sues two real estate firms - AKT Investments Inc. and West Lakeside LLC - alleging the district overpaid by $10.4 million for the school site and demanding repayment of some of the money. The suit also names attorney Martin Steiner, the law firm where he worked, Hefner, Stark & Marois, and real estate broker Mark Skreden.
Feb. 13, 2012: Steiner and his law firm agree to pay $2.6 million to settle the lawsuit brought by the district.
Jan. 30, 2013: Natomas Unified has apparently come to a tentative settlement with West Lakeside LLC, a development company, and real estate broker Mark Skreden over the 2007 land sale.
Compiled by Bee researcher Pete Basofin
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