Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar Arrested on Federal RICO Charge that Alleges He Agreed to Accept At Least $1.5 Million in Illicit Benefits
The case alleges the Politician Operated a ‘Pay-to-Play’ Scheme in Which Real Estate Developers Funneled Cash and Other Benefits to Secure Favorable Treatment
This is the second one. The first to go down was in May:
George Esparza, 33, of Boyle Heights, the former special assistant to a member of the Los Angeles City Council has agreed to plead guilty to a federal racketeering charge stemming from a “pay-to-play” bribery scheme where real estate developers and their proxies provided over $1 million in financial benefits, including cash, to the councilmember and others to ensure certain real estate projects received favored treatment.