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VOL. 27,
NO. 136
Ridley-Thomas gets 3 1/2 years in federal prison in corruption case
LA City Council approves guidelines, expenditure plan for mansion tax funds
By Fred Shuster, City News Service
By Jose Herrera, City News Service
rominent Los Angeles County politician Mark Ridley-Thomas was sentenced Monday to three years and six months in federal prison for voting in support of county contracts that would favor USC while accepting benefits for his son from the university. "The entire community has been victimized by the defendant's crimes," U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer said during the sentencing hearing inside a packed downtown Los Angeles courtroom. Fischer added that Ridley-Thomas "has committed serious crimes, has not accepted responsibility and has shown no remorse." In addition to the prison time, Ridley-Thomas was ordered to serve three years on supervised release once he completes his prison time. He also must pay an assessment and fines of $30,700. Ridley-Thomas spoke during the hearing, again insisting he did not do anything illegal, but he apologized to his family and constituents for causing the "perception that I deviated from proper conduct." He said the actions he took that resulted in his conviction were "ill-advised, but not illegal." The former state legislator, city councilman and county supervisor was ordered to report to prison on Nov. 13. He showed no reaction as the sentence was imposed. Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Ridley-
Thomas to six years behind bars, writing in a sentencing memorandum that he took part in "a shakedown." "Not the kind in movies with bags of cash or threats of force. But the kind that is polite and pervasive. The kind that happens too often by sophisticated, powerful people. The kind to which society, sadly, has become so accustomed that it often goes unreported and rarely yields consequences for the offender but strikes a devastating blow to the integrity of our democratic system," prosecutors wrote. Defense attorneys had asked for a term of home confinement, community service and a fine, but no prison time for RidleyThomas. However, if incarceration was required, they recommended no more than two years and three months, court papers show. The 68-year-old former elected official was convicted March 30, while he was a suspended member of the LA City Council, on single counts of conspiracy, bribery, honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud, stemming from his time serving on the county Board of Supervisors. Jurors, who reached their verdicts on their fifth day of deliberations in Los Angeles federal court, acquitted him of a dozen fraud counts. Ridley-Thomas' attorneys argued for a probationary sentence along the lines of the term of home confinement handed to his
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$150,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson told the court that the reason she was asking for a prison term for Ridley-Thomas was because "one of the most powerful politicians (in Los Angeles) ... used his position of power as a bargaining chip. Monetizing one's position is a crime — and it's a really serious crime." Dotson added that, while the government recognizes
he Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved guidelines and an expenditure plan for money raised by the Measure ULA "mansion tax," with the plan aimed at funding tenant protections and increasing affordable housing. The council voted 10-0 to approve Mayor Karen Bass' proposed funding plan, which increases the amount earmarked for tenant protection measures. In a statement, Bass said the council approval comes at a "critical time" when tenants across the city are facing eviction. Council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Monica Rodriguez and Imelda Padilla were absent during the vote. Council members Paul Krekorian and Curren Price recused themselves, citing a potential conflict of interest. Tenant protections for back-rent accrued during the coronavirus pandemic between March 2020 to September 2021 ended on Aug. 1, and many Angelenos may face eviction as they work to pay any missing rent. According to the guidelines, programs and services will be geared toward Angelenos who need to pay that back rent. For rent that accrued from October 2021 to Jan. 31, tenants have until February 2024 to pay up. "In order to successfully confront this homelessness crisis, we have to ensure that we are doing all we can to prevent Angelenos from falling into homelessness in the first place," Bass said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. "I want to thank Council member (Nithya) Raman and the rest of the City Council for taking this important action. Now, we must turn to ensuring that these resources reach those who need them most." Prior to the vote, Raman, who chairs the Housing and Homelessness Committee, urged her colleagues to approve the expenditure plan. "With over 44,000 Angelenos without a permanent home in the city of Los Angeles and with evictions surging, the need for these funds has never been more pronounced," Raman told her fellow council members. She also expressed her gratitude for United to House LA Coalition, the LA Housing Department, and the leadership of Bass and council members Bob Blumenfield and Eunisses Hernandez for helping "us get to the finish line and approving the inaugural $150 million expenditure plan for the implementation of Measure ULA." Measure ULA, also known as the "mansion tax," is a 4% sales tax on properties exceeding $5 million, and 5.5% sales tax on properties exceeding $10 million. The revenue from the sales tax is collected and earmarked for renter protections, including protections for low-income seniors at risk of homelessness, rental assistance programs and building more
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Mark Ridley-Thomas. | Photo courtesy of Neon Tommy/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
co-defendant, Marilyn Flynn. Defense attorney Galia Z. Amram said that the government was recommending a prison term in order to punish her client for refusing to accept a plea deal and showing no remorse after he was convicted. Flynn, an 84-year-old former dean of the social work school at USC who pleaded guilty to bribing the veteran politician, was sentenced last month to 18 months home confinement and ordered to pay a