Former Los Angeles Councilmember Who Accepted Casino Bribes Sentenced to Prison
A former Los Angeles City Councilmember who pleaded guilty a twelvemonth agone this month to taxation nonpayment and confederacy to go against the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act has been sentenced.
On Friday, US Judge Gospel According to John Bruno Walter inward the Central District of Golden State sentenced Jose Luis Huizar, 55, of Boyle Heights, to 13 years inward federal prison. The disgraced political leader must also pay off $443,905 inwards return to the City of Los Angeles and $38,792 to the IRS.
No ane is to a higher place the law,” said US Attorney Mary Martin Estrada. “Today’s condemn shows that still a powerful elected prescribed same Huizar will be held accountable for engaging inwards crook misconduct. Huizar was elected to assist the interests of the hard-working people of Los Angeles, but he instead served his have personal interests inward a long-running, pay-to-play, bribery scheme. Our community deserves better.”
Huizar represented Council District 14 from December 2006 through and through Aug 2020 when federal prosecutors brought charges against him. CD-14 includes the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Downtown, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Garvanza, Abraham Lincoln Heights, and Monterey Hills.
Bribery Scheme Included Las Vegas Trips
Federal prosecutors alleged and proved inward courtroom that Huizar was bribed by a Chinese billionaire who was trying to untroubled city approvals to build what would hold been the tallest edifice westward of the MS in downtown Los Angeles. US attorneys said Huang Wei and his Shenzhen New World Group bribed Huizar with cash and gifts totaling nearly $2 jillion to win o'er city councilors into affirmative the controversial project.
The US attorney’s office staff for the Central District of California said Huang took Huizar on several lavish trips to Las Vegas where large sums of immediate payment were laundered through and through Strip casinos, including the Cosmopolitan. Huang reportedly ordered prostitutes for Huizar and flew him to and from Sin City on his buck private jet.
“The benefits ranged from hard currency bribes, cassino gambling chips, prostitution services, political contributions, flights on common soldier jets and commercial message airlines, stays at luxuriousness hotels and casinos, expensive meals, tickets to concerts and sporting events, and other things of value. In change for these benefits, Huizar used his public office positions to submit official acts and apply favourable handling towards the projects of the paying tangible estate developers,” the US governance said in a financial statement on the prosecution.
To maintain his council place inwards 2013 amid a sexual molestation lawsuit, federal authorities say Huizar turned to Huang to help him pay for his settlement. Prosecutors claim Huang sneakily routed $600,000 to Huizar through a strange eggshell companion that the councilmember used to pay off cancelled his accuser.
Huan Remains on the Run
Seven other individuals pleaded guilty or were found guilty of participating inward the bribery scheme. The charges included honest services conducting wire fraud, bribery, falsifying of records, obstructing justice, making false statements, and racketeering.
The Department of Justice says Huang remains a fugitive from justice and has yet to seem in court. He has been supercharged with several felonies and is “believed to be in China.”
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