Judge Rules Former City Councilman Snyder Must Face Trial

After months of legal scrimmaging, a Superior Court judge ruled Friday that former Los Angeles Councilman Arthur K. Snyder must stand trial for allegedly using hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to curry influence as a lobbyist.

Rejecting efforts by Snyder and several co-defendants to derail the case, Judge John Ouderkirk found that a grand jury indictment handed down this year was proper and that there is evidence the former lawmaker used his Downtown law and lobbying practice in a criminal conspiracy.

“The motivation and goal was to gain influence for Arthur Snyder and his firm to be used with various political figures,” Ouderkirk said.

Evidence in the case indicates that employees of the law firm used cash to improperly reimburse “straw man donors” to politicians, the judge said.

It was a crucial victory for the district attorney’s office and the state Fair Political Practices Commission, which see the Snyder case as a groundbreaking effort to police fund-raising practices in Southern California.

The prosecution’s case appeared to be in trouble three months ago, when Ouderkirk signaled he was leaning toward the defense position that Snyder should only face administrative penalties--not criminal charges--for any violations of the state Political Reform Act.

In briefs filed in recent weeks, the district attorney’s office warned that Snyder’s reading of the law would gut Watergate-era reforms approved by voters. On Friday, Ouderkirk agreed, saying that “criminal sanctions are still a viable option.”

“We’re very, very pleased,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Gail Ehrlich said outside the courtroom. “It means egregious violations [of the Political Reform Act] may be prosecuted.”

The normally gregarious Snyder, a storied and often-controversial City Hall insider for three decades, appeared shaken and fumbled for words as he emerged from Ouderkirk’s court. “Disappointed,” he said to reporters before they asked a question. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Snyder, 62, and his attorney, Mark Geragos, said they would appeal Friday’s ruling. “If worse comes to worse, we’ll have a trial, and we’ll see,” Snyder said.

Ouderkirk also upheld felony charges filed against Snyder’s law partner, Gilbert Archuletta; a Snyder law firm employee, Aide Posadas, and Snyder’s sister-in-law, Blanche Poon. Like Snyder, all have pleaded not guilty. An arrest warrant also has been issued for Delia Wu Snyder, Snyder’s wife and law firm office manager, who remains in Taiwan.

The judge dismissed charges against William Wang and his wife, Grace Wang, who is Snyder’s sister-in-law. William Wang is the former local manager of Evergreen America, a shipping firm that paid a record $895,000 civil fine to state and local authorities for laundering political donations in a related case. The judge said the couple did not appear to be involved in the alleged main conspiracy centered on Snyder’s law firm.

Prosecutors claim that Snyder and his associates funneled campaign checks to city and state politicians from a vast network of friends, relatives and associates, who were secretly reimbursed with cash, often in wads of $100 bills.