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Former Top Huizar Aide Is Another Domino In The FBI's City Hall Corruption Probe
Los Angeles City Hall is seen in this photo taken Nov. 30, 2011 (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images).
George Esparza, a top deputy in the office of City Councilman Jose Huizar until the end of 2017, has agreed to plead guilty to a racketeering charge in connection to a sweeping FBI corruption investigation at Los Angeles City Hall.
Esparza is now chief of staff to Los Angeles Assemblywoman Wendy Carillo. We’ve reached out to Carillo’s office for comment.
The allegations include a stunning array of kickbacks that real estate developers would allegedly exchange for help pushing projects through City Hall including:
- Cash bribes
- Lavish vacations
- A payoff to help settle a sexual harassment lawsuit
- Hundreds of thousands of dollars in casino chips
At a City Council meeting today, Mayor Eric Garcetti said:
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“The indictment that came down today sickens me. Public service is an honor, and anybody who takes public service and uses that to enrich themselves bespoils this place, the people’s house … if you did anything wrong be prepared to pay the price.”
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This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
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