Local News in Brief : Bribe Charge Filed Against Prosecutor
A charge of soliciting a bribe has been filed against the city prosecutor who was arrested last month for allegedly offering an 18-year-old woman accused of forgery a lighter sentence if she would have sex with him.
George Schwartz, 42, of West Hills has been on paid leave since he was arrested Aug. 25 as he left the Van Nuys courthouse for lunch. Schwartz, who is free on $3,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 22 on the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Schwartz, who has worked at the Van Nuys courthouse for 10 years, allegedly offered to recommend a reduced sentence for passing a forged check if the woman would plead guilty and have sex with him. The woman’s attorney reportedly told her to complain to Schwartz’s supervisor, and police subsequently recorded her meeting with the prosecutor at a Woodland Hills shopping center.
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