Ex-LA city councilman found guilty of accepting casino bribes
A former Los Angeles City Council member who pleaded guilty a year ago this month to tax evasion and conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act has been sentenced.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge John Walter of the Central District of California sentenced Jose Luis Huizar, 55, of Boyle Heights, to 13 years in federal prison. The disgraced politician must also pay $443,905 in restitution to the city of Los Angeles and $38,792 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
No one is above the law," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. "Today's ruling demonstrates that even powerful elected officials like Huizar can be prosecuted for criminal misconduct. Be held accountable. Huizal was elected to serve the interests of the hard-working people of Los Angeles, but instead he served his own personal interests as part of a long-running money-only bribery scheme. Our community deserves better. "
Huizal represented the 14th District on the Council from December 2006 to August 2020, when federal prosecutors filed charges against him. CD-14 includes the communities of Downtown Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, El Sereno, Galwanza, Lincoln Heights and Monterey Hills.
bribery scheme including trip to Las Vegas
Federal prosecutors accused and proved in court that a Chinese billionaire bribed Huizar. The tycoon is trying to get city approval to build the tallest building west of the Mississippi River in downtown Los Angeles. U.S. prosecutors say Huang Wei and his Shenzhen New World Group paid Huizar bribes totaling nearly $2 million in cash and gifts to persuade city councilors to approve the controversial project.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said Huang took Huizal on multiple luxury trips to Las Vegas and laundered large sums of money at Las Vegas Strip casinos, including the Cosmopolitan. money. Huang reportedly arranged for Huizal to be hooked up with prostitutes and flew him to and from Sin City on his private jet.
"These benefits include bribes, casino gambling chips, prostitution services, political donations, flights on private jets and commercial airlines, accommodations in luxury hotels and casinos, expensive meals, tickets to concerts and sporting events and other valuables." To obtain these benefits, Huizar used his official position to take official actions to provide preferential treatment to paid real estate developers’ projects,” the U.S. government said in a statement accompanying the indictment.
In an effort to retain his seat in Congress in 2013 despite facing a sexual harassment lawsuit, Huizar turned to Huang for help paying the settlement, according to federal authorities. Prosecutors allege Huang secretly funneled $600,000 to Huizal through a foreign shell company, which the city councilman used to pay the accuser.
Huang is still on the run
Seven others pleaded guilty or were found guilty for participating in the bribery scheme. The charges include honest services fraud, bribery, forgery, obstruction of justice, misrepresentation and racketeering.
The Justice Department said Huang remains a fugitive and has not yet appeared in court. He has been charged with multiple criminal offences, and is said to be "residing in China".
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Source: www.casino.org
