LOS ANGELES : Grocers Assn. President Surrenders to Face Charges
Five defendants--including Steven A. Soto, head of a politically prominent Eastside business group--surrendered on felony charges Thursday that are said to be tied to a campaign money-laundering case.
Although Deputy Dist. Atty. Efrem Grail stressed that the multi-count grand jury indictment accusing the five is still secret, Soto’s attorney, Mark Geragos, has said his client has been named in connection with thousands of dollars in allegedly illegal campaign contributions to state and local politicians.
Geragos said Soto, president of the Mexican American Grocers Assn., has agreed to pay $50,000 in civil penalties in connection with the case.
The others who surrendered Thursday are Joe Hernandez, Jerome Wilson Lloyd, David Villafana and Rosemarie Faris, Grail said. All the defendants were released on their own recognizance pending their arraignment, which has been postponed until June 13.
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