Englander Sentenced To 14 Months In Prison For Lying To FBI

NORTHRIDGE, CA — Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander was sentenced Monday to a year and two months in federal prison 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.

The ex-councilman was also ordered to serve three years under supervised release following his prison term and pay a $15,000 fine.

Englander — who represented Council District 12 in the San Fernando Valley from July 2011 until he abruptly resigned in December 2018 after investigators began asking questions about his activities — was told to surrender June 1 to begin serving his sentence.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter said "greed and arrogance" appeared to be the motivation for "brazenly" lying to the FBI repeatedly on three separate occasions and that Englander, 50, had damaged "the public's trust in government."

Walter said that Englander apparently believed his position of trust would protect him from being caught, and if he was charged, "the consequences won't be significant."

In a statement to the court, Englander admitted he had "shattered" his own reputation and said he did not fully understand what drove him to give false information to federal investigators.
The government had urged Walter to impose a two-year prison sentence, while the defense joined with probation officials in recommending a probationary sentence.

Englander, of Santa Monica, admitted to scheming to cover up $15,000 in cash payments, costly meals and other gifts offered to him from a businessman who sought to increase his business opportunities in the city. He pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents in three interviews, a federal felony charge carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison. Englander is the first person to be sentenced in a large-scale federal investigation into corruption at Los Angeles City Hall.

Among his other duties, Englander served as the council president pro tempore, the second highest position in the Council, and was a member of the powerful Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which oversees many of the city's biggest commercial and residential development projects.

Englander was a "powerful and wealthy Los Angeles city councilmember who swore an oath to serve the interests of his constituents," prosecutors wrote. "He swore another oath as a reserve officer with the Los Angeles Police Department to uphold and protect the law. Instead, (he) illicitly cashed in on his status as a purported public servant in casino bathrooms and through VIP bottle service, luxury dinners, and behind hotel room doors."

The businessman spent tens of thousands of dollars on hotel rooms, meals, bar tabs, and escorts, according to court records. It is unknown if Englander engaged with the escort in any way. Englander admitted to taking $10,000 in cash from the businessman, then $5,000 a few weeks later at a resort in Palm Springs. Englander then invited the businessman to lunch with a developer.

Prosecutors wrote in advance of Englander's sentencing hearing that over "numerous incidents of escalating corruption and self-preservation, defendant sold out both oaths, cheaply and repeatedly. After resigning in the middle of his term after he was questioned in the instant investigation, defendant successfully parlayed his government service into a lucrative private practice position as a government consultant with a major entertainment company."

Two months after a Las Vegas trip with Englander and others in June 2017, the businessman began cooperating with the FBI in an investigation focused on suspected pay-to-play schemes involving Los Angeles public officials — including ex-councilman Jose Huizar — and made secret recordings of Englander's interactions with him, federal prosecutors said. The businessman's recordings show Englander encouraging the businessman to lie about their interactions to the FBI. Englander later lied to the FBI, saying that he had never discussed their interactions.

Huizar, the central figure in the six-year probe of City Hall, is charged separately in a 41-count racketeering indictment alleging he accepted $1.5 million in bribes from developers in exchange for his support of downtown building projects. He has been charged with bribery, racketeering, fraud, money luandering, and more for allegedly shaking down developers hoping for approval for downtown building projects.

The federal probe into suspected corruption in local politics also ensnared political operatives, lobbyists and the former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety.
Huizar, who represented Downtown L.A. and was the chairman of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He faces trial June 22. His former special assistant George Esparza, a lobbyist, and two real estate consultants, have also pleaded guilty to federal crimes implicating Huizar.

Current District 12 Councilmember John Lee, who was Englander's chief of staff, has confirmed that he accompanied Englander on the 2017 trip to Las Vegas, but denies any wrongdoing.

"In my 20 years of service with the City of Los Angeles, I have never had a single ethics violation," Lee said in a June statement. "My focus is on working with everyone in our community to address the most pressing issues facing the Twelfth District and all of Los Angeles."

"I was in Las Vegas with Councilmember Englander in June and I did everything in my power to pay for and reimburse expenses related to this trip," Lee also wrote in a March 9 tweet, six days after he won his current seat. "I was unaware of any illegal activities for which Councilmember Englander is being charged."

A grand jury indictment mentions "City Staffer B," who allegedly also accepted gifts, leading neighborhood councils to investigate Lee's involvement in the case. In June, the Granada Hills South and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Councils voted in favor of a resolution calling on the City Ethics Commission to "investigate council member Lee's involvement in this incident, determine if he violated ethics rules promulgated by the city of Los Angeles and produce a full public report."

Though Lee has faced calls to resign and been interviewed by the FBI, his supporters say no evidence exists that he has done anything wrong.

— City News Service and Patch Staffer Michael Wittner contributed to this report.

Note: A former edition of this article incorrectly stated that Lee tweeted that he was on the trip during his March campaign. He tweeted it after the election was over. Patch regrets the error.

Related coverage:

John Lee Investigation Requested By Neighborhood Councils | Northridge, CA Patch

Ex-LA Councilman Mitch Englander Pleads Guilty In Bribery Case | Northridge, CA Patch

Mitchell Englander Admits To Bribery As Valley Councilman | Northridge, CA Patch