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City Council Candidate Rudy Martinez Possessed Slain Officer's LAPD Badge, Uncooperative In '05 Investigation
Rudy Martinez
Rudy Martinez, the Eagle Rock businessman challenging Jose Huizar for his seat on the Los Angeles City Council, reportedly quit his post as an LAPD volunteer in 2005, according to a police report, and refused to cooperate with an investigation into why he possessed the badge of a slain officer who died in the line of duty, reports the LA Times. Eric Hacopian, a campaign consultant for Martinez acknowledged that the candidate had a badge from the LAPD so he could create miniatures for a department-run, celebrity golf tournament. Hacopian dismissed the matter a "non-issue," reports the LA Times, a tactic intended to distract voters. Hacopian also claims Martinez did not know the badge was originally issued to "an officer who was shot to death."
The 2005 LAPD report provided to Huizar's campaign as part of a "public records request," is the latest turn in "a brutally negative campaign between two men who were once considered friends," reports the LA Times. "Martinez and two former Huizar staffers said last week that FBI agents had interviewed them about the councilman's financial dealings. Huizar, in turn, shone a spotlight on $6,000 in contributions to the Martinez campaign that have become the subject of an inquiry by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley."
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