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Warrants issued at Huntington Park City Hall and mayor's home in corruption probe
The search warrants were part of a corruption investigation related to plans to build an aquatic center.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Topline:
Investigators served search warrants Wednesday at several Huntington Park locations — including City Hall, the homes of the mayor and other city officials — in connection with a probe into corruption allegations stemming from plans to build an aquatic center.
The backstory: The investigation in the southeast L.A. city began in November 2022 and focuses on potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds allocated for construction of an aquatic center at Salt Lake Park, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The D.A. called the investigation "Operation Dirty Pond."
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Warrants issued at Huntington Park City Hall and mayor's home in corruption probe
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Targets: Investigators served warrants at 11 locations, including the homes of Mayor Karina Macias, Councilmember Eddie Martinez, City Manager Ricardo Reyes, and former councilmembers Marilyn Sanabria and Graciela Ortiz. In addition, investigators served warrants at the home of Edvin Tsaturyan and Sona Vardikyan (owners of JT Construction Group Inc.) in Glendale; the business office of Unified Consulting Services, LLC in Huntington Park; and the home of former city official Efren Martinez.
Seized: Numerous items from each location, including public records maintained by the city of Huntington Park, financial paperwork, computers, tablets, cellphones and various forms of electronic equipment, according to the statement.
Hochman's comment: “I want to commend our dedicated prosecutors and investigators for their diligent work on this complex case. Their unwavering commitment to justice ensures that no one — regardless of their position or title — is above the law,” Hochman said in a statement.
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