Prosecutors seek 13-year prison sentence for former L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar
Federal prosecutors are seeking a 13-year prison sentence for former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar for his role in an expansive bribery scheme, according to court documents filed Thursday.
After a years-long federal investigation, Huizar pleaded guilty in January to charges of racketeering and tax evasion, admitting that he extorted at least $1.5 million from real estate developers.
Huizar, 55, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 26 by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter.
Ahead of the sentencing, the government filed documents Thursday asking the court to sentence Huizar to 13 years and to order him to pay $1,019,174 in restitution to the city of Los Angeles. Huizar’s attorney, in separate documents, requested a nine-year sentence.
“Because defendant received such benefits in violation of his duty as the City’s agent, he must account to his employer for his ill-gotten gains, which rightfully belong to the City under California agency law, consistent with Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit precedent,” prosecutors wrote in a 38-page sentencing memorandum.
Former L.A. City Councilmember Jose Huizar pleads guilty to racketeering and tax evasion, admitting he extorted at least $1.5 million from developers.
A onetime powerful politician, Huizar represented downtown Los Angeles on the City Council and forged close bonds with real estate developers seeking government approvals.
In his plea deal signed earlier this year, he admitted taking financial benefits, including cash, from developers in exchange for committee votes and other government acts.
Prosecutors’ $1-million restitution figure includes $194,500 in gambling chips, $575,269 to settle a sexual harassment claim targeting Huizar and $10,980 for a round-trip flight to Australia.
They are also seeking a fine of $350,000, a special assessment of $200, and a three-year term of supervised release for Huizar.
In their sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that Huizar swore an oath to serve the public but “violated that oath and duty, choosing instead to place his own lust for money and power above the rights and interests of the people he was elected to serve.”
The Los Angeles political world is no stranger to scandal. In fact, there have been so many it can be hard to keep them straight.
“In the wake of his criminal activity, defendant has helped gut the public’s confidence in the integrity of its local government — and beyond — and eroded a sense of fair play therein.”
As part of Huizar’s January plea deal, prosecutors agreed to request a sentence of no more than 13 years in prison, while Huizar promised not to ask for less than nine years.
In a 142-page sentencing memo also filed Thursday, attorneys Charles Snyder and Adam Olin asked the court for mercy, describing Huizar as a “profoundly flawed man” who grew up in poverty in rural Mexico and eventually earned a law degree from UCLA.
On the City Council, Huizar oversaw downtown’s renaissance, built new bicycle lanes and raised money for homelessness. At the same time, he was a “philanderer, a gambler and an alcoholic.”
His family, including his four children and elderly mother, continue to rely on him, Huizar’s attorneys wrote.
“To be clear: everyone agrees that Mr. Huizar’s conduct warrants a significant custodial term,” Huizar’s attorneys wrote. “The question today is whether wisdom, justice, mercy, and common sense require a sentence beyond 9 years.”
Given Huizar’s acceptance of responsibility for his crimes, his family ties and other factors, “the answer is no.”
His attorneys also this week sought unsuccessfully to move Huizar’s sentencing date to February.
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