Local News in Brief : Bribery Charges Set in Acupuncture Case

The Los Angeles district attorney’s office will file a 55-count complaint Friday against a former state acupuncture examination committee member accused of accepting $800,000 in bribes, Deputy Dist. Atty. Herbert Lapin said Wednesday.

The arraignment of Chae Lew, 53, of Hillsborough, was to have occurred Wednesday but was delayed until April 7 after Lapin said his office needs more time to complete its investigation.

Lew was arrested Jan. 20 on suspicion of bribery in the alleged selling of questions that appeared on acupuncture licensing examinations over the last four years. He is free on $5,000 bail.

Lew’s wife, Hai Ja, will also be named in the complaint, Lapin said. She was arrested Wednesday and booked for conspiracy to dissuade a witness, and then released. Lapin said she “appears to have been a messenger for the delivery of money to co-conspirators.”