Snyder Will Be Allowed to Leave Country Despite Felony Charges

Over objections of prosecutors, a judge Wednesday agreed to return former Los Angeles Councilman Arthur K. Snyder’s passport and permit him to visit his daughter overseas while felony political money-laundering charges are pending against him.

Superior Court Judge John Ouderkirk, after questioning Snyder under oath, said he does not believe the 62-year-old former lawmaker, now a prominent City Hall lobbyist, is likely to flee or has “a plot to go live in some foreign country.”

Snyder, who says he recently was diagnosed as having cancer, told Ouderkirk the trip was important to his only daughter, now studying in Ireland. Snyder, who has denied wrongdoing, also said he is determined to return and fight to clear his name. “I’m certainly not willing to go crawling out” of a long public career, he said.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Gail Ehrlich told Ouderkirk that it would be too risky to allow him to leave. She noted that Snyder’s wife--a co-defendant in the case--has been in Taiwan for months, beyond the reach of an arrest warrant.

The former councilman, his wife and several relatives and associates were indicted by the county Grand Jury in January for allegedly conspiring to channel to politicians campaign donations that were secretly and illegally reimbursed. Prosecutors say the scheme was intended to circumvent campaign reform laws and boost Snyder’s political influence.

Arguing against allowing Snyder to leave the country, Ehrlich said the former councilman apparently has access to sizable amounts of cash. About $67,000 was discovered in a safe during a search of Snyder’s home, she noted. And investigators are trying to track tens of thousands of dollars in cash, generated in recent years as retainer checks written to Snyder’s Downtown law firm were redeemed at banks for $100 bills, she noted.

Ehrlich suggested the former Eastside representative, a ubiquitous figure in the halls of local government for 30 years, could face additional charges stemming from the long-running case. Snyder knows there “are clear tax implications” in the investigation of the cash trail, she said, giving him an increased incentive to flee. Snyder said he has reviewed the tax issues, has filed some amended returns and “we have no problem. . . . It’s all been properly reported.”

Ehrlich also said authorities are investigating whether Snyder was involved in falsifying a document--a potential felony. Snyder and his attorney, Mark Geragos, said they have not seen the document in question.

Snyder told the court he would not go to Taiwan, where his wife is living. Snyder maintains she handled all his finances in the period under investigation. He declined to discuss his medical condition. A source said Snyder was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the seriousness of the problem probably will not be clear until surgery, scheduled for late April.