Inglewood mayor resigns before pleading guilty to misdemeanor conflict of interest charge

Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn abruptly resigned his elected post Sunday evening, hours before he pleaded guilty this morning to a misdemeanor just as his trial on public corruption charges was expected to begin, a district attorney’s spokeswoman said.

Dorn, a former Superior Court judge, was fined $1,000 and placed on two years of probation as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, said Shiara Davila-Morales. As part of the sentence, Dorn, 74, is prohibited from holding public office.

Dorn, a three-term mayor and ordained clergyman, faced embezzlement charges in connection with his borrowing of $500,000 from a city-funded low-interest loan program originally intended to help Inglewood administrators afford to live in the city. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor conflict of interest charge, Davila-Morales said.

Dorn borrowed the money in November 2004, five months after he voted with the 3-2 council majority to extend the program to elected officials. He received a 30-year loan with a variable interest rate of 2.39%, far less than the market rate.

He allegedly used the funds to pay off the mortgage on his Inglewood home and put the rest in his bank account. He repaid the loan in October 2006.

[Updated at 2:11 p.m.: The headline on an earlier version of this post said Dorn resigned after pleading guilty. He resigned before entering his plea.]