Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar speaks on the steps of L.A. City Hall in this February 2013 file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)
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Today, a grand jury returned a 34-count indictment against Huizar. He's now scheduled to be arraigned via video conference on Monday, Aug. 3.
Federal prosecutors say Huizar led a "criminal enterprise" from his council seat, using his position to conduct and cover up illicit activities, including accepting bribes from developers.
Huizar's indictment is the latest development in a years-long federal investigation into corruption at L.A. City Hall. The probe has so far seen former councilmember Mitch Englander and city staff members arrested and charged as part of a sweeping "pay-to-play" scandal involving a powerful city council committee, developers, lobbyists, casino trips, cash exchanges in bathrooms, and more.
Four defendants have already entered guilty pleas.
We look back on how the scandal has unfolded so far. The full scope of the FBI investigation is still a mystery, and our understanding relies on piecemeal documents and snippets of information that have been released so far. To help keep track of what we know, we've put together this timeline combining important dates and milestones.
INVESTIGATION TIMELINE
Note: Events listed below are largely based on allegations from the Englander indictment or public search warrants.
February 15: The FBI serves a search warrant against Yahoo asking for access to L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar's personal email account.
June 2017
June 1: Englander and his then-chief of staff, John Lee, go on a Las Vegas trip along with, according to the indictment, Businessperson A, City Staffer A ("special assistant" to City Councilmember A from June 2013 - January 2018), City Staffer B *, Lobbyist A and Developer A, among others. Businessperson A hands over a cash envelope with $10,000 in a hotel casino bathroom and treats the group to a lavish dinner, $24,000 in nightclub bottle service (with another $10,000 in bottle service from Developer A), and female escorts. One escort is sent to Englander's room.
June 5: The FBI investigation into Englander begins based on "a judicially authorized intercepted phone call referencing benefits received by public officials from Businessperson A."
Early June: John Lee leaves Mitch Englander's office for a job in the private sector. *
June 10-12: Palm Springs Golf Tournament at Morongo Casino resort, where Businessperson A allegedly gave another $5,000 envelope to Englander in a bathroom.
June 19: Englander introduces Businessperson A to Developer B at a lunch meeting.
July 2017
July 11: FBI contacts City Staffer B asking for an interview.
July 13: FBI contacts City Staffer B again seeking a voluntary interview.
Sometime in July: Federal investigators contact former Englander chief of staff John Lee. *
July 19: Federal investigators interview Businessperson A. Less than a month later, Businessperson A starts cooperating with the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office.
Aug. 10: Businessperson A begins cooperating with the FBI and U.S. Attorney's office.
Aug. 16: City Staffer B talks to the FBI with their attorney present.*
Sometime in August: Federal investigators contact John Lee again.*
Sometime in August: Mitch Englander learns about the FBI investigation, allegedly sends a Confide message to Businessperson A saying he wants to reimburse them for the Vegas trip.
September 2017
Sept. 1: FBI contacts Mitch Englander for the first time, asking for a voluntary interview. Afterwards, according to the indictment, Englander sends a back-dated check to reimburse Businessperson A for trip expenses.
Sept. 14: Fed Ex package arrives to Businessperson A containing two checks for $442 each from Englander and City Staffer B.* Checks are labeled "Vegas expenses" and dated Aug. 4, 2017.
October 2017
Oct. 4: Mitch Englander allegedly meets Businessperson A for lunch in DTLA and discusses FBI investigation.
Oct. 19: Englander sits for an FBI interview with his attorney present and allegedly lies, saying he hasn't told anyone about this interview.
January 2018
Jan. 31: Businessperson A sends Englander a Confide message mentioning the FBI had asked to "follow up about the check." Englander allegedly responded, "...I got a call too. Very stupid. They are waiting [sic] their time with this."
Jan. 31-Feb 5: Englander and Businessperson A continue to talk on Confide about the FBI investigation. Businessperson A says they should talk in person. Englander suggests using a different phone number.
February 2018
Feb. 6: At an Englander fundraising event, Businessperson A and Englander talk about the investigation, but Englander instructs Businessperson A "you and I have never had a conversation... they are going to ask," and "you should just say 'I don't know.'" Englander also allegedly tells Businessperson A to lie and say Englander had tried multiple times to reimburse them for Vegas expenses. The indictment also alleges Englander told Businessperson A not to say anything about escorts, referring to a "massage lady." Englander said, "Don't say it...don't mention... No, no, don't mention it."
Feb. 7: Englander interviewed by FBI a second time. He allegedly lies about whether he knew Businessperson A would be at his fundraiser, if he knew how much the Vegas bottle service cost, and if he received any other gifts.
Feb. 12: Englander and Businessperson A meet in Englander's car. According to the indictment, Englander turns the stereo up very loud in case of listening devices and drives in circles. Englander tells the individual to lie to investigators and says "we never had a conversation." Englander also tells Businessperson A how to lie about calling the escort service in Las Vegas, ultimately deciding, "No, just say, 'I don't remember'" and "No, I didn't hire anybody." Englander finally agrees to introduce the Businessperson to his builder "friend."
April 2018
Apr. 12: Mitch Englander files his Form 700, a required financial disclosure for government officials, but omits $15,000 cash and other gifts from Businessperson A.
July 2018
July 20: FBI serves a search warrant against Google under money laundering and bribery statutes.
The warrant asks for information contained in the Gmail account of Raymond Chan, the former head of the Los Angeles Dept. of Building and Safety (appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti) until he retired in 2016 and served for a year as a Los Angeles deputy mayor for economic development until June 2017.
Also named: Councilman Jose Huizar, family members and other city hall aides; Councilman Curren Price; Deron Williams, chief of staff to Herb Wesson; and Joel Jacinto, a member of the city's board of public works (appointed by Garcetti).
The warrant mentions seeking records for information on "development projects in and around Los Angeles that relate to foreign investors."
Oct. 11: Mitch Englander announces he's resigning to work for a private sports lobbying firm, Oak View Group.
November 2018
An FBI agent carries a case from the Boyle Heights home of Los Angeles Councilman Jose Huizar in on Nov. 7, 2018. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Nov. 7:The FBI raids the office and home of Jose Huizar using a hard drive-sniffing dog. Agents leaving one office have a filing box labeled "Fundraising."
Nov. 20: Mitch Englander meets with Businessperson A, according to the indictment, and discusses the FBI investigation into his Vegas and Palm Springs trips.
December 2018
Dec. 31: FBI interviews Englander a 3rd time. He allegedly lies about cash and gifts from Businessperson A, and says he can't remember ever using the Confide app.
Dec. 31: Mitch Englander officially resigns from the city council.
January 2019
Jan. 11: Seamus Hughes with George Washington University tweets the warrant on Raymond Chan's Gmail account. This is the first chance journalists and the public have for a better understanding of how wide and deep the FBI probe into L.A. City Hall may go.
June 2019
June 4: Special primary election to fill the Council District 12 seat vacated by Mitch Englander. Former Englander chief-of-staff John Lee and scientist Loraine Lundquist qualify for the top-two runoff in August.
August 2019
Aug. 13: John Lee, former Mitch Englander chief of staff, wins the special election to fill the CD 12 seat Englander vacated in 2018.
March 2020
Mar. 3: California's presidential primary election, where John Lee runs for re-election against scientist and educator Loraine Lundquist.
Mar. 9: A federal grand Jury indictment is unsealed, and Mitch Englander surrenders to the FBI, facing seven counts for obstructing a federal investigation. He pleads "not guilty" and is released on $50,000 bail. His trial date is later set for May 5.
March 27: Englander takes a deal, agreeing to plead guilty to one count of "scheming to falsify material facts," according to Department of Justice officials. As part of the agreement, Englander admitted that he made false statements to the FBI and federal prosecutors on three separate occasions in 2017 and 2018.
Englander, his wife and attorney leaving the federal courthouse in downtown L.A. (Libby Denkmann/ LAist)
May 2020
May 13: Granada Hills real estate developer George Chiang agrees to plead guilty in connection with a scheme to bribe public officials -- including an unnamed member of the Los Angeles City Council -- to smooth the passage of real estate projects.
May 27: George Esparza, a former aide to Huizar, agrees to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute.
June 2020
June 23: Councilmember Jose Huizar is arrested by federal agentsat his Boyle Heights home on a federal racketeering charge.
In a 172-page indictment, federal prosecutors allege Huizar led a "criminal enterprise" from his council seat, using his position to conduct and cover up illicit activities, such as accepting bribes from developers.
Huizar faces a charge for "conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act," federal prosecutors said in a news release, alleging he agreed to accept at least $1.5 million in bribes.
The Los Angeles City Council votes 14-0 to suspect Huizar, though he can't be officially removed from his position unless he pleads or is found guilty.
Huizar appeared in court in front of United States Magistrate Judge Paul L. Abrams, who ordered Huizar released on a $100,000 bond.
The corruption charges include allegations that Huizar illegally took more than $800,000 in benefits from a "Chinese billionaire who runs a multinational development firm and who owns a hotel in Huizar's district."
It also alleges that Huizar used " family members to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, making false statements on a bank loan application and failing to report his illicit benefits on tax returns and ethics disclosure forms.
* The identity of "City Staffer B" has come under close scrutiny since the indictment's release. The Grand Jury says, along with Englander, this staffer sent a backdated check to the unnamed businessperson that was meant to look like reimbursement for Vegas travel expenses. It was mailed after both individuals became aware of the FBI investigation.
In the Grand Jury document, City Staffer B is referred to as "a high-ranking staff member for defendant ENGLANDER until approximately June 2017." Englander's chief-of-staff until June 2017 was now-Councilman John Lee, who represents the same district. Lee is not named in the indictment, but has since confirmed he went on the Las Vegas trip. On Monday, Lee said in a statement that he was unaware of any illegal activity, and cooperated "completely" with the FBI.
LAist editor Ryan Fonseca contributed to this story.
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