Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
3 Indictments In 2 Years For Current Or Former LA City Councilmembers. Here Are The Cases
Los Angeles City Hall
(
Chava Sanchez
/
LAist
)
Wednesday’s indictment of Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas makes him the third current or former L.A. councilmember to face corruption charges in just the last two years.
Here's a summary of the cases to date:
Mark Ridley-Thomas Indictment
Mark Ridley-Thomas (Photo by Paul Redmond/Getty Images)
()
Support for LAist comes from
The 20-count indictment accuses Ridley-Thomas of conspiring with former USC School of Social Work Dean Marilyn Louise Flynn to provide his son, former Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, with grad school admission, a full-tuition scholarship and a paid professorship. In return, prosecutors allege that Ridley-Thomas steered lucrative county contracts to the school, in his then-role as a member of the Board of Supervisors.
His lawyer has denied the allegations. Flynn's lawyer said she "has not committed any crime."
Ridley-Thomas’ indictment follows those of José Huizar and Mitch Englander, who were both implicated in an FBI probe of corruption at City Hall. In addition to the elected officials, other former city staff, consultants and lobbyists have agreed to plead guilty in the probe, dubbed Operation Casino Loyale.
Michael J. Proctor, an attorney for the councilmember, said in a statement:
“Mark Ridley-Thomas was shocked by the federal allegations leveled against him, and with good reason. They are wrong, and we look forward to disproving them.”
Vicki Podberesky, Flynn's lawyer, said in a statement that her client "has not committed any crime and we believe that the evidence in this case will ultimately support this conclusion."
USC also issued a statement saying that when the school learned in the summer of 2018 about the alleged $100,000 payment involving Ridley-Thomas, "the university disclosed the issue to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has fully cooperated ever since."
Support for LAist comes from
It noted that Flynn has not worked at USC since Sept. 2018, and that the university "will continue to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and must limit comments because this is a pending criminal matter.”
José Huizar’s Alleged Pay-To-Play Scheme
Former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar in front of City Hall.(David McNew/Getty Images)
()
Huizar is facing dozens of federal charges. He's accused of running a criminal operation and enriching himself by leveraging his powerful position as chairman of the council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee, a chokepoint for development projects in the city. He was arrested and charged in June 2020.
Prosecutors say Huizar accepted at least $1.5 million in gifts, campaign donations and cash bribes to clear the way for real estate projects in a downtown L.A. portion of his former district. He has pleaded “not guilty” and the case is expected to head to trial, with federal public defenders representing Huizar.
Like Ridley-Thomas, Huizar’s alleged corruption was tied to a family member. Facing a term limit, he was allegedly seeking to curry favor and raise money for a city council bid for his wife. She withdrew her candidacy after the FBI searched the Huizar home in Boyle Heights in Nov. 2018.
Mitch Englander: Envelopes Of Cash And A Guilty Plea
Ex-L.A. City Council member Mitch Englander court on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Libby Denkmann/ LAist)
()
Support for LAist comes from
Former 12th District Councilmember Mitch Englander was also indicted as a result of the FBI probe. The feds alleged that Englander tried desperately to cover up the fact that a businessman gave him envelopes of cash in a casino bathroom, plus "female escort services, hotel rooms and expensive meals ... during trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs.”
Englander faced more than a half-dozen federal charges, also tied to his role in real estate development projects. In January, he pleaded guilty to a single count of scheming to obstruct an FBI investigation and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. He also had to pay a $15,000 fine and undergo three years of supervised release after his prison term.
Two other current members of the city council, Curren Price and John Lee, have been named in the FBI probe. Neither has been charged with any crime.
Price was named in an FBI warrant seeking evidence in its corruption investigation, but it didn't say there was evidence of criminal activity by Price.
Lee was Mitch Englander’s chief of staff, and accompanied his then-boss on the Las Vegas trip during which prosecutors said Englander accepted illegal perks.
Because Englander’s indictment was unsealed on March 9, 2020, voters were not aware of Lee’s involvement in the trip when they elected him to a four-year term a week earlier. Lee has said he was unaware of the illegal activities and that he has cooperated with the FBI.
The City Hall corruption probe appears to have been separate from the FBI investigation into Ridley-Thomas.
Support for LAist comes from
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist