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.
Suspended L.A. Councilman José Huizar May Need New Defense Attorneys In Corruption Trial
Suspended L.A. City Councilmember José Huizar leaves federal court in downtown Los Angeles. He appeared along with federal public defenders for a trial setting hearing. (Libby Denkmann/LAist)
Suspended L.A. City Councilman José Huizar will have to prove he needs a federal public defender before his corruption trial can proceed, a federal judge said today.
During a hearing to set a trial date, Judge John F. Walter asked Huizar and his attorneys to provide a complete balance sheet laying out his financial status, including home equity, proceeds from a rental property and any liabilities.
Huizar’s initial application for public counsel was denied in June, but on July 24 a magistrate judge ordered the appointment of taxpayer-funded attorneys and required the councilman to contribute $3,000 a month for his defense.
Huizar appeared in-person in the courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, just a block from City Hall, where he once chaired the council’s powerful Planning and Land Use Management Committee. He now faces dozens of racketeering charges, including money laundering, bribery, wire fraud and falsifying financial reports.
Prosecutors say Huizar accepted $1.5 million in gifts, campaign donations and cash bribes to clear the way for major development projects in his downtown district. He pleaded “not guilty” on Monday.
Suspended L.A. City Councilman José Huizar arrives in federal court in downtown Los Angeles for a trial setting hearing pic.twitter.com/p1lejUQjjg
— Libby Denkmann (@libdenk) August 5, 2020
Judge Walter set a “placeholder” trial date of Sept. 29, 2020 -- but acknowledged that is unlikely to happen. Huizar’s new attorneys need time to familiarize themselves with the case, and evidence processing and discovery are currently slowed by coronavirus safety precautions.
Sponsored message
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins confirmed during the hearing that he plans to call “40-50” witnesses, including members of Huizar’s family. Four defendants have already pleaded guilty in connection to the investigation, including former Councilman Mitch Englander. They are all cooperating with prosecutors.
A 113-page criminal complaint released last month implicated at least three Huizar relatives in activities that include money laundering, but, Jenkins said, “we currently have no plans to charge them.”
We have reached out to the Federal Public Defender’s office in Los Angeles for more information about the financial threshold required to qualify for public counsel.
MORE ON THE CITY HALL SCANDAL:
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
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
