One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
LA City Officials And A Bag Full Of Cash — New Corruption Allegations
Los Angeles City Hall is seen in this photo taken Nov. 30, 2011 (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images).
We just learned that a Mar Vista fundraiser pled guilty on a charge connected to his coordination of a $500,000 bribe to a city councilmember, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
It’s the latest domino to fall in an FBI investigation into corruption at Los Angeles City Hall.
So who was the bag man?
According to the DOJ, it was real estate appraiser Justin Jangwoo Kim. He pled guilty to one count of federal program bribery and agreed to cooperate with an ongoing investigation.
The guilty plea, signed by Kim on March 16, comes only 10 days after an indictment against former councilmember Mitch Englander, who surrendered to authorities on charges he "obstructed an investigation.”
Timeline: Follow The FBI's Sweeping LA City Hall Corruption Investigation Through The Years
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
