Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Ex-deputy mayor gets 12 years in prison for role in LA City Hall corruption scheme
Los Angeles City Hall
(
Chava Sanchez for LAist
)
Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan was sentenced to 12 years in prison Friday for his role in a widespread City Hall corruption scheme.
Chan, 68 of Monterey Park, was convicted earlier this year of bribery, racketeering, fraud and lying to FBI investigators.
How we got here
Federal prosecutors said Chan accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money and facilitated payoffs from real estate developers to former City Councilman Jose Huizar between 2013 and 2018.
Support for LAist comes from
During that time, Chan worked first as head of the city’s Building and Safety Department and then as deputy mayor for economic development under former Mayor Eric Garcetti. Huizar chaired the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which oversaw all commercial and residential development projects in the city.
Chan and Huizar shook down Chinese developers who needed help getting their real estate projects through the city’s approval process. Chan accepted more than $750,000 in bribe money for himself and facilitated over $1 million in bribes from property developers to Huizar, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In a letter to the judge, the L.A. City Attorney’s Office said Chan used his position to manage a “pay-to-play criminal enterprise,” lining his own pockets in the process.
The sentencing
In addition to prison time, U.S. District Judge John Walter ordered Chan to pay more than $752,000 in restitution to the city.
In January, Huizar, 56 of Boyle Heights, was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was ordered to pay restitution to the city and the IRS.
Go deeper: Former LA Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan convicted of bribery
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Kimmel returned less than a week after ABC suspended his show over comments he made about the assassination of right wing activist Charlie Kirk. -
Southern California might see some light rain tonight into Wednesday morning. After that, cooler weather is on the way, but expect the humidity to remain. -
A gate tax at Disney? It's a possibility. -
UCLA and University of California leaders are fighting Trump’s demands for a $1.2 billion settlement over a litany of accusations, including that the campus permits antisemitism. -
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research.
Best of LAist