LA Councilmember Price Pleads Not Guilty To Corruption Charges; Council Suspension In Limbo

Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price pleaded not guilty Monday to corruption charges after a judge rejected arguments by his defense attorneys that the case should be dismissed.

Meanwhile, the question of whether Price should be suspended from the council could be taken up later this month, according to a spokesperson for City Council President Paul Krekorian.

About 50 Price supporters showed up at the arraignment. Price, who represents parts of South L.A., addressed them after it was over.

“This is a fight. We have done nothing wrong,” Price said. “We are going to be fighting tooth and nail to prove our innocence.”

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The county District Attorney’s Office has filed five counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three felony counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest — all felonies — against Price. If convicted, he faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The embezzlement charges relate to a period from 2013 to 2017 when he collected more than $30,000 in medical premiums for his wife when she was on his city insurance plan. Price was legally married to another woman at the time.

Price has said he believed his marriage to the other woman had been dissolved.

In the conflict of interest and perjury charges, Price stands accused of voting to approve projects for developers who at the same time were paying his wife for consulting work — and then not reporting the connection on financial disclosure forms. The votes occurred between 2019 and 2021.

Defense attorney Michael Schafler argued that the conflict of interest and perjury charges should be dismissed because prosecutors excluded evidence about Price’s state of mind at the time of the alleged offenses. The attorney also argued that whatever Price did with his wife’s insurance policy didn’t amount to the crime of embezzlement.

Price’s attorneys had argued in court documents that the charges were filed after the district attorney conducted “a superficial investigation in which it neglected to interview Price, his wife, or even Price’s staff who screen [City Council] agenda items for conflicts.” They argued the projects Price voted on “were non-controversial and unanimously approved on the consent calendars.”

Prosecutor Casey Higgins defended the D.A.’s case and said Price had engaged in a “long pattern” of corrupt behavior.

Superior Court Judge Craig Richman rejected the defense motion.

Price is the fifth member of the L.A. City Council to be accused of corruption in recent years. Three have been convicted and are no longer on the council. Councilmember John Lee has denied any wrongdoing in connection with an Ethics Commission allegation that he accepted illegal gifts from developers.

In two of the previous cases — Jose Huizar and Mark Ridley-Thomas — the City Council voted to suspend them before they were convicted. But Krekorian, the city council president, has expressed reservations about doing the same with Price. He has said unlike with Huizar and Ridley-Thomas, who were prosecuted by the federal government, the state allegations against Price have been less detailed.

That’s not unusual. A federal indictment provides more details regarding allegations of criminal wrongdoing than state charging documents.

Price’s supporters have been lobbying against any suspension. On Monday, many said they believe he is innocent and that he has been a good representative on the council.

“Thank you for always being our champion,” said Raul Claros of the Reimagine L.A. Foundation, addressing Price as he stood before supporters.

Hugh Esten, spokesperson for Krekorian, said the suspension issue could be taken up by the Rules Committee as soon as Jan. 19.