Former Aide to L.A. City Councilmember Agrees to Plead Guilty to RICO Charge Stemming from ‘Pay-to-P

[PeteS in CA]

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-aide-la-city-councilmember-agrees-plead-guilty-rico-charge-stemming-pay-play

Former Aide to L.A. City Councilmember Agrees to Plead Guilty to RICO Charge Stemming from ‘Pay-to-Play’ Corruption Scheme

George Esparza, 33, of Boyle Heights, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute.

Esparza was charged with the racketeering offense in a criminal information filed today in United States District Court. In addition to the charging document, federal prosecutors filed a plea agreement in which Esparza committed to entering a guilty plea and agreed to continue cooperating in the ongoing investigation into political corruption in the City of Los Angeles.

In the court documents filed today, Esparza admitted to participating in a criminal enterprise called the Council District A Enterprise (CD-A Enterprise), which was led by his one-time boss, who was chair of the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee and is described as “Councilmember A.”

[PeteS in CA]

https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/los-angeles-city-councilman-jose-huizar-arrested-federal-rico-charge-alleges-he-agreed

Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar Arrested on Federal RICO Charge that Alleges He Agreed to Accept At Least $1.5 Million in Illicit Benefits

Huizar, 51, of Boyle Heights, was taken into custody at his home without incident and is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Huizar was arrested pursuant to a federal criminal complaint filed on June 22 and unsealed this morning. The complaint charges Huizar with one count of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and alleges that, as part of the criminal enterprise, he and his associates violated a series of laws, including bribery, honest services fraud, extortion and money laundering.

“This case pulled back the curtain on rampant corruption at City Hall,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. “Councilman Huizar violated the public trust to a staggering degree, allegedly soliciting and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from multiple sources over many years. Using the power of his office to approve or stall large building projects, Huizar worked through a web of other corrupt city officials, lobbyists, consultants and developers to line his pockets and maintain his hold on Council District 14, which he turned into a money-making criminal enterprise that shaped the development landscape in Los Angeles.”

Pay-To-Play injures:

* Those who paid;

* Those who could not pay;

* The voters and other people who pay more for the product/service of whoever paid;

* The voters and other people who could not get the product/service of whoever could not pay.