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As Sentencing Date Nears, Prosecutors Recommend 6 Years In Prison For Mark Ridley-Thomas
Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas attends the naming ceremony for the Avis and Mark Ridley-Thomas Health Center on September 16, 2021.
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Screengrab from L.A. City Channel 35.
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Federal prosecutors say former L.A. City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas deserves 79 months in prison for his public corruption conviction. Their recommendations runs counter to a probation report that says Ridley-Thomas has done a lot of good for the community and deserves 18 months probation.
On March 30, a jury found the one-time Los Angeles County supervisor guilty of conspiring to support a county contract for USC in exchange for one of the school’s deans providing Ridley-Thomas' son a full scholarship and faculty job. The dean also helped funnel money from a Ridley-Thomas political fund to one operated by his son through the university.
Ridley-Thomas, 68, has appealed his conviction.
Prosecutors: 'This was a shakedown'
In their sentencing memo filed Monday, prosecutors cited a “strong need for general deterrence to curb the ... crushing weight of public corruption" in L.A.
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“This was a shakedown," the prosecutors wrote. "Not the kind in movies with bags of cash or threats of force. But the kind that is polite and pervasive. The kind to which society, sadly, has become so accustomed that it often goes unreported and rarely yields consequences for the offender but strikes a devastating blow to the integrity of our democratic system.”
The federal probation department report is confidential but prosecutors mention it in their memo. They said the report suggests “that defendant has served his community” and should get a year-and-a-half in prison.
Defense: 'Ridley-Thomas has made an historic impact'
Ridley-Thomas was born and raised in L.A. and was president of the city’s chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for a decade until 1991, when he was elected to the City Council. He served until 2002, representing the 8th District, which covers large swaths of South L.A.
Ridley-Thomas served in the state legislature for six years before being elected to the county Board of Supervisors in 2008. He was termed out of office in 2020 and elected to the L.A. City Council again.
In a court filing, Ridley-Thomas’ defense attorneys argue he deserves probation only, echoing the probation department view.
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“Dr. Ridley-Thomas has made an historic impact in the community. He has devoted decades to serving others, to empowering historically silenced voices, to doing everything in his power to make Los Angeles a better place,” his defense team wrote.
The defense also submitted 130 letters of support for Ridley-Thomas from community leaders.
Prosecutors largely dismissed the letters and any good works by Ridley-Thomas as an elected leader.
"Defendant does not have to be a 'bad' person to be deserving of a significant sentence. The fact that he is kind to family, friends, and individuals with whom he has a mutually-beneficial political relationship is not a significant mitigating factor," their memo states.
Ridley-Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer on Aug. 21.
Corrected August 17, 2023 at 2:52 PM PDT
This story was updated to correct a statement from a probation report. It recommends that Mark Ridley-Thomas be sentenced to 18 months probation, not 18 months imprisonment.
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