Politics & Government
Former Councilman José Huizar Gets Long Prison Sentence For Corruption
Former City Councilman José Huizar received the longest sentence stemming from a sweeping corruption probe involving shakedowns.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Disgraced former L.A. City Councilman José Huizar was sentenced Friday to 13 years in federal prison for using his powerful position at City Hall to shake down real estate developers for at least $1.5 million in cash and benefits in exchange for help driving downtown real estate projects through the city's approval process, and for cheating on his taxes.
Huizar, 55, of Boyle Heights, pleaded guilty a year ago to federal counts of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and tax evasion.
He was ordered to surrender to authorities to begin serving his sentence on April 30. His is among the longest prison sentences handed down to Los Angeles city leaders in recent years.
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Los Angeles has been rocked by scandals spanning the City Council, the Department of Water and Power, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in recent years
In August, former Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was sentenced to three years and six months in federal prison after he was found guilty of seven felony counts for participating in a scheme in which he received benefits from USC for himself and his son while he had a seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
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Former Councilman Mitchell Englander was sentenced in 2021 to 14-months at a federal penitentiary.
Englander, 50, was sentenced in for trying to obstruct an investigation into a lavish trip to Las Vegas provided by a businessman hoping to be introduced to people who might buy his products. Englander was the first to be sentenced in a sprawling six-year probe of government corruption that ensnared uizar, former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, developers and many others.
The parade of scandals prompted the City Council to vote to formally establish an Office of Compliance that would proactively assist council members with identifying and avoiding potential conflicts of interest.
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City News Service. Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.
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