DWP Staffer Pleads No Contest to Embezzling $4 Million From Taxpayers

LOS ANGELES, CA — A former audio-visual technician for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power pleaded no contest Thursday to charges that he embezzled more than $4 million in public funds.

Thatcus Richard, 65, entered his plea to nine felony counts each of embezzlement by a public officer, public officer crime and conflict of interest, according to Deputy District Attorney Susan Ser.

Richard is due back before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney for sentencing on June 20. There was no agreement on what kind of sentence Richard could face, but he is expected to be ordered to pay more than $4 million in restitution, Ser said.

Richard's attorney could not be reached for immediate comment on the plea.

Richard was arrested by investigators from the District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation in June 2015 and subsequently released on bond.

Between July 1996 and March 2014, Richard -- who was in charge of managing video and audio jobs for the utility -- enlisted friends to establish audio-visual companies and then helped award DWP contracts to them, according to the District Attorney's Office.

In return, the companies would subcontract the work to a company owned by the defendant called Top Line Communications.

DWP officials said that as a result of the case, the utility began reviewing all of the contracts initiated by its small business units over a five-year period and bolstered training for contract managers. For the first time, the utility also established a vendor-authentication unit to verify the legitimacy of companies doing business with the DWP.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock