SANTA ANA – A Long Beach attorney on Thursday admitted to helping launder cash profits for an Orange County drug kingpin who owned numerous illegal marijuana stores across Southern California.

Richard Brizendine, 59, appeared in the court of U.S. District Judge James V. Selna to plead guilty to federal counts of money laundering and conspiracy to structure cash deposits to avoid federal reporting requirements, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Brizendine worked with John Melvin Walker, who owned and operated marijuana stores in Orange and Los Angeles counties that authorities say generated about $25 million over six years.

Known as “Pops,” Walker was described in court documents as the “kingpin of a large, organized criminal enterprise awash in narcotics, firearms, and, most of all, money.” He lived in a multimillion-dollar gated mansion in San Clemente while running illegal marijuana stores in cities such as Dana Point, Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and San Juan Capistrano.

Last year, Walker was sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and for failing to report the revenue from the marijuana stores on his taxes. He also was ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service $2.4 million and the California State Board of Equalization $1.8 million.

According to a federal indictment the judge ordered unsealed on Thursday, Walker would give Brizendine bulk cash from his marijuana sales. The attorney then would deposit the cash in a variety of bank accounts, including his own, and business accounts for companies to which he had ties. To avoid federal filing requirements, authorities say Brizendine limited the deposits to less than $10,000 per account.

As part of his plea, Brizendine admitted to handling nearly $390,000 from Walker.

Brizendine, who faces up to 10 years in federal prison, is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4.