A former Santa Clara County Fairgrounds employee has been convicted of demanding kickbacks from a security company contracted by the fairgrounds and will now have to pay back the money.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Obdulia Banuelos-Esparza, 42, last year with bribing the owner of 4 Diamond Security in exchange for her recommendation that the company continue patrolling the 150-acre East San Jose fairgrounds.

Officials said that Banuelos-Esparza — who served as the director of events and marketing — asked the owner of the security company to pay her a monthly percentage of the money it received from its contract with the fairgrounds. When the owner refused, Banuelos-Esparza accused the company’s security guards of sleeping on the job and warned that the contract was at risk of being terminated. She then offered to intercede on the security company’s behalf in exchange for payments, which started off at $2,500 per month and grew to nearly $4,000 per month.

Banuelos-Esparza pled no contest on June 6 and subsequently negotiated a plea bargain, according to the DA’s office. She will be required to pay back $40,000 to the security company and serve probation. Her attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

The news of Banuelos-Esparza’s conviction comes as the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds kicks off the annual fair, which runs from July 30 to Aug. 3.

“Ride the Ferris wheel, see the farm animals, eat the food, and have fun knowing our county fair is safe and free of corruption,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a news release.