Chick spoke to U.S. agents in Delgadillo probe
Los Angeles City Conptroller Laura Chick today said she has been interviewed by the FBI and federal prosecutors regarding an investigation of City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo.
Chick said she was interviewed two weeks ago about her attempt to conduct a performance audit of Delgadillo’s workers’ compensation unit. Delgadillo recently filed a lawsuit against Chick to prevent the audit but withdrew the legal action at the City Council’s request when Chick backed off her demand.
“I know [federal agents] have been certainly aware of what happened subsequent to our meeting, which is that the city attorney filed a lawsuit that fully and completely blocked my audit,” she said.
Chick said she sought the audit not because she suspected wrongdoing but because she wanted to provide some accountability to Delgadillo’s office. Chick said she did not initiate the meeting with the FBI and has not been asked to turn over any documents.
“The fact that the city attorney has blocked my attempt to do performance audits twice now . . . makes me step back and ask, what’s he trying to hide?” Chick said.
Delgadillo said through a spokesman that he has not been contacted by federal authorities and knows of no allegations of wrongdoing against him. His response came a day after the San Francisco Chronicle reported that FBI agents based in San Francisco had begun investigating him.
Nick Velasquez, the city attorney’s spokesman, said there may be a “political agenda” behind any allegations made against Delgadillo. The city attorney also is willing to have his workers’ compensation unit reviewed by an independent auditor, but he objects to having a “politician” conduct the audit, Velasquez said.
“Any allegation of wrongdoing is nothing more than garbage being shoveled by the city’s attorney’s political opponents hiding behind the cloak of anonymity,” Velasquez said. “This is a classic political smear. It’s one hell of a coincidence that this is coming out now, when press accounts say he is considering a run for attorney general.”
Spokesmen for the FBI and the U.S. attorney in San Francisco have declined to comment.
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