KNBC/Universal Report: Illegal Money Laundering...It Isn't Just For Mobsters Anymore: LA CITY Elected Officials Are Cashing In, Too!
I GUESS VILLARAIGOSA, DELGADILLDO AND CITY COUNCIL ARE LIKE MOBSTERS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT!?!?!...Not to take anything away from them.
Thanks to Paul Moyer and KNBC-4 for calling the activities of 7 Councilmembers, Villaraigosa and Rocky Delgadilldo "SHADY"! (Even if he didn't say they were "Shady as F*CK!")
NBC/Universal said..."Though City Ethics Commission has spared recipients of laundered funds, the state's watchdog agency tells us in a written statement that it is "reviewing older unresolved cases and the issue (of pursuing recipient-politicians)... is still on our radar.
Legal records and press coverage of recent money laundering cases have repeatedly mentioned (these) politicians by name -- giving them all fair warning that dirty money flowed into their campaigns: Among current LA office holders, Mayor Villaraigoa has collected $4,000 in such funds since 2000, Rocky Delgadillo -- $12,000; and City Council members Cardenas, Weiss, Greuel, Parks, Labonge, Smith and Janice Hahn -- various amounts. (CM Smith was only $500, though.)
[LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THESE ELECTED LAW-BREAKERS MAY STILL DO TIME.]
WATCH THIS PULITZER PRIZE WORTHY VIDEO SEGMENT HERE!
CLICK READ MORE FOR TRANSCRIPT EXCERPTS
KNBC'S PAUL MOYER: The mayor... the city attorney... seven sitting members of LA's city council. What shady activity have they all benefited from?
RICHARD FINE (FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR): These people were guilty of accepting what is known as laundered money.
BOB STERN (POLITICAL SCIENTIST): Money laundering is the most serious violation of the campaign finance law.
JAY HANDEL (BUSINESSMAN/POLITICAL CONSULTANT): It just makes all of the politics dirty.
PAUL MOYER: According to city records... these high-profile politicos have all received illegal, laundered campaign donations in recent years. They all say they didn't know the money was illegal when they got it, but only one has given any of it up now that the truth is out, even though, under law, their obligations seem clear.
RICHARD FINE: The obligation on the politician is absolute. In other words, As soon as he/she finds out that he/she has received an illegal contribution they must give it back.
JAY HANDEL: The city has for years known about these violations and it slipped through their hands very happily.
PAUL MOYER: This lack of enforcement, say the critics, allows unscrupulous donors, many of them real estate developers, to corrupt the political process.
JAY HANDEL: You've got developers continuing to pad the coffers of campaigns to ensure their people get in.
RICHARD FINE: The system is corrupt.
PAUL MOYER: Critics say, some donors are getting around the limits by funneling campaign funds through other people, through cutouts. This so-called laundered money -- especially when matched with public funds -- can give a recipient-candidate a head-start in campaign fund-raising and can discourage other potential candidates from running.
PAUL MOYER: City and state law makes laundered contributions illegal, and authorities have cracked down, most notably in 2004 when the LA county District attorney got 14 individuals associated with Casden Properties Inc. to plead no contest to laundering campaign funds. The City Ethics Commission fined them and went after other dirty donors... collecting more than $1,200,000 in fines. It's a record the Commission's executive officer, Lee Ann Pelham, is proud of.
PAUL MOYER: Critics say the Ethics Commission is simply giving a pass to the politicians it answers to.
JAY HANDEL: The Ethics Commission is appointed by the City Council people, approved by the City Council people and basically at that point you've got the fox watching the henhouse.
What's more, say critics, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Councilman Jack Weiss are experienced prosecutors who should be particularly sensitive to the letter and spirit of the law.
JAY HANDEL: Jack Weiss is a former federal prosecutor. He gets it. Rocky is our top cop in the city.
Delgadillo echoed this theme through a spokesman, saying: "The City attorney and other elected officials who received money from Mr. Casden's associates had no knowledge of illegal money laundering when they received these contributions..."
Delgadillo says he "will work cooperatively with (the state's Fair Political Practices Commission) if they decide to revisit this issue."
But he and his fellow recipients on the City Council gave no indication they'll relinquish laundered funds voluntarily.
PAUL MOYER: What are the ramifications to our political system in this city?
RICHARD FINE: Unless the politicians themselves decide to give the money back. This is the same thing as stuffing a ballot box. If we don't have clean elections it's not worth having a democracy.
zumadogg@gmail.com
Posted by Zuma Dogg @ 9/21/2007 10:57:00 PM
43 Comments:
Kathleen Connell had some 60,000 in funds she had to give back in 2001, when the Ethics Commission told her about it. All these candidates together barely add up to that. With the millions they have to raise, it's hard to see how they can check out every small donor, and who he is secretly representing. And NO I don't work for or care for any of them.
With Hsu, it was some $800,000 to Hilary alone. That kind of money seems hard to not question, when it came directly from Hsu.
After reading all the KNBC transcripts it's clear that these all occurred at the same time, back in 2001, at the same time, and as the DA says -- something not emphasized in the KNBC news story, because it must be frustrating to them -- they have determined that no candidates had any knowledge that any funds were or may have been laundered, nor were they advised to return any money. Even Greig Smith, who seems so prim and proper, says the same as all of them.
If you want to look at big money, look at who controls the MTA (hint). That's billions and lots of power.
12:13: There's a Times article today about Hsu -- that 850,000 bucks was given to Hillary by people "associated with Hsu," not him directly. That seems to be how these people operate. They put the burden on the candidates to track the donors and who they are.
I loved it, loved it, loved it. I will be writing to KNBC begging them to do more on this.
Nobody has been charged? Poor Lee Ann Pelham. How can she do her job properly with no enforcement?
And all the money was from developers! Oh yeah.. Hate to say I told ya so.
Greig Smith is prim and proper? Sure. Hey, I got me some real estate over in Porter Ranch to see you. No really.
Go to the Ethics Department and click on the names of the politicians. You can either check by the politician name or you can check by the names of the people who donated.
Everyone should be so shocked if they've never seen it before. I don't care which CD you come from.
I hope KNBC continues to uncover more and more. Then eventually the dimwitted constituents will finally figure it out. Oh this is great! But we need MORE and daily.
Since we know the average citizen isn't rabidly reading the newspapers, blogs and city council referrals, journal entries and newsletters, perhaps the dumb television will catch their attention. One can only hope.
Still oppose clean money after watching this?
Who cares about Hsu and Hillary on this blog? This blog is for local city government.
Here is two articles of interests incase anyone missed them.
Prosecutor says she was pressured by Delgadillo
Los Angeles Times
June 29, 2007
“A career prosecutor said she was pressured by City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo in 2001 to drop criminal charges against grocery magnate George Torres for illegally demolishing low-income apartments. Deputy City Atty. Asha Greenberg said Delgadillo called her to say he was 'getting a lot of pressure on the case,' according to a memo she wrote at the time and placed in an internal case file. Delgadillo told Greenberg that Torres was concerned that a conviction would hurt his chances of getting beer and wine permits for his markets.”
http://www.topix.net/content/trb/2007/06/prosecutor-says-she-was-pressured-by-delgadillo
Grocery King George Torres Fingered in Murders
Racketeering charges against Numero Uno markets founder include bribing two former L.A. planning commissioners
L.A. Weekly
June 13, 2007
“FEDERAL PROSECUTORS on Wednesday afternoon charged George Torres, one of South Los Angeles’ largest property owners and the owner of the Numero Uno supermarket chain, with conspiracy to commit murder. Also charged on a variety of racketeering offenses, such as extortion and bribery, were several codefendants, including Torres’ brother Manuel, son Steven and former Los Angeles city planning commissioners Steve Carmona and George Luk.
THE TORRES-VIGNALI CONNECTION is explored in detail in a congressional report that resulted from Pardongate, when revelations surfaced that President Clinton granted clemency for Carlos Vignali Jr. — convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in 1995 — along with other convicted criminals and one-time international fugitive Marc Rich. The granting of clemency occurred after payments were made to Clinton’s brother-in-law, Hugh Rodham, the brother of former first lady, New York state senator and 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Released in March 2002 by the congressional Committee on Government Reform, “Justice Undone: Clemency Decisions in the Clinton White House” details Hugh Rodham’s involvement in the Vignali affair, as well as the long business history Vignali once shared with George Torres.
The report takes to task top L.A. elected officials, including county Supervisor Gloria Molina, then–state Senator Richard Polanco, then–state Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa and U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra, among others, for lobbying on behalf of Vignali Jr., in light of his drug conviction and the fact that DEA agents long suspected Vignali Sr. to be involved in drug trafficking — along with Torres. While a member of the California state Assembly, Villaraigosa wrote the first letter on Vignali’s behalf on May 24, 1996.”
http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/grocery-king-george-torres-fingered-in-murders/16625/
Who's that cartoon character that Rocky's face looks like here? It's a dead on, but can't think of the name. You know, the one with the...
This post is utterly useless. It's all in the papers.
Where is the value added here, Zumma Pussy?
3:48 - are you talking about Pinky from Pinky and the Brain?
Anon posted:
""""Who cares about Hsu and Hillary on this blog? This blog is for local city government""
What the LA Slimes refuses to report is our gang banging cholo Mayor Villaraigosa also received money from HSU. Yup, more to add to his baggage of corruption
BASTARDS BASTARDS
NO COMMENT ON THIS MOTION
Gang-tax measure approved for ballot
TAXED BY GANGS? Would you support a parcel tax to raise $30 million to combat gangs?
The Los Angeles City Council moved Friday to ask voters in February to approve a $30 parcel tax on every city property owner to raise funds to fight gangs.
In a 12-0 vote without comment, the council instructed the City Attorney's Office to craft language for a ballot measure on the plan.
Not-so-anonymous-to-ZD said..."If you want to look at big money, look at who controls the MTA (hint). That's billions and lots of power."
[Yeah, yeah...thanks for reminding me! Will do that stuff, next.]
Oh no...Hsu gave to Mayor Viagraosa and they DIDN'T mention that!?!?! MAYBE THAT'S AN BECAUSE LA TIMES "HIGH-RANKER" HAS TIES TO VILLAR's OWN "Affordable Housing" ponzy scheme.
[How could these LA Times reporters be such spineless, sell-out, bitch-cowards? They really should have a little more pride and dignity in what they do. Instead of being a bunch of sell-out bitch-cowards.]
6:41am,
Aw, Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeel Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaw!!! Thanks for the story idea for upcoming thread:
WARNING: DO NOT MOVE OR INVEST IN LA CITY!!! THEY ALLOW THE GANGS TO EXTHORT MONEY FROM PROPERTY OWNERS, BY TAXING EVERY PROPERTY OWNER IN THE CITY AND HANDING THE MONEY OVER TO GANGS!!!
Why don't we just elect the gang members to office and we can save a step, and become a lot more efficient in the RACKETEERING!
Speaking of cowards: How ARE the 12 who voted "yes" without even commenting. I HOPE NONE OF THEM EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER hide behind a children's cause, or speak up about schools. I WILL BE THERE TO BAT THOSE COMMENTS DOWN, AND EXPOSE THEM FOR THE GANG FINANCERS THAT THEY ARE:
HEY CITY COUNCIL...If Jerry Lewis can have a telethon for MD, I think Antonio Villariagosa and the 12 COUNCILCOWARDS who voted "yes" should have a fundraiser for GANGS!
It's a worthy cause, and guns and drugs aren't free, you know? So let's tax every property owner in the city with "just one more tax" (besides bulky item, trash collection, DWP rate hikes, solid waste removal (hey can they remove council), bonds for "bullet trains", bonds for schools, and everything and anything else).
This tax, a worthy one...for GANGS!
WARNING: DO NOT INVEST IN LA CITY....the bond rating is about to sink! And you will be as bankrupt as the city is about to be.
What do you expect with a pea-brain, stuttering, cheating, lying, low-IQ, no moral, corrupt, selfish, sell-out his own family, going straight to hell leader that is responsible for all of this?
Rocky Delgadillo = Alfred E. Neumann
"What, me worry?"
(Alfred was the ZD of his era)
Alfred was NOT the ZD of his era.
Which sentence endings are also true?
Alfred was/is:
an influence of 7:44 in his heyday.
the Rocky Delgadillo of his era.
Villar's idol and he (Villar) attempts to copy him.
the authors of the Federal DREAM act.
Ed Boks.
each ALF amd ELF member.
Reyes, Huizar, Alarcon, Cardenas, Perry, Parks, Wesson, Hahn, Labonge, Weiss, Gruel, and Garcetti.
each voter who put the above clowns into office, including Villar and Delgadillo (we voted them in, why should we worry?).
These sentence endings could go on and on!
Why can't the councilmembers pay for these settlements out of their annual discretionary funds? They receive $3 million annually; they should be able to share the cost! If they were forced to do something like that, they wouldn't be to eager to settle lawsuits for exhorbitant amounts of taxpayer money!
9:34 - They receive $1 million annually in their discretionary funding, not $3 million! Get your facts straight!
My source is the annual City Budget. What is your source?
I stand corrected. Thank you, Stephen.
Throw em all in the river with a rock tied to 'em, they must all be guilty of something. But this is a case of sloppy reporting, almost zuma-style in their cries of Shady, Shady, but nothing there. The DA did sign off, says there's nothing to pursue. Who is that fat guy KNBC/ Moyer keep going to as some authority, on the Playa Vista story, too? The experts look pretty third-rate in general.
Zuma at 7am is 100% correct about DO NOT INVEST IN LA!!
Myself and all of the other rental property owners are selling off in LA as fast as possible. You can't keep loosing money and stay in business.
The only ones that I know that are buying are ones that don't know yet there is NO profit in LA and won't be able to maintain the buildings and/or they will go back to the bank.
This city is an Enron and is imploding.
Rocky and Bullwinkle show.
PAUL MOYER: This lack of enforcement, say the critics, allows unscrupulous donors, many of them real estate developers, to corrupt the political process.
Wait until they look into what the Non-Profit Advocacy groups can do with Affordable Housing.
The Non-profits take donations and contributions without much scrutiny.
But some of the Non-Profit advocacy groups are very powerful politically in the city. Some are sitting on the city boards approving and disapproving developer’s projects.
Don’t know much about the rules or laws in this territory. But this smells really bad and gives a terrible appearance of impropriety to those who understand. Perhaps public awareness and outcries can stop that.
Laundering may be easier here too. Someone can first donate to a more reputable Non-Profit group, and then get some of it donated to another Non-Profit Advocacy group. Difficult to trace or pinpoint. The Non-Profits donate to each others quite often.
The law requires the candidate or committee treasurer to pay laundered funds to the City Treasurer "in the event it is discovered" by them that they have received laundered contributions. What does it mean to "discover"? Can you discover something that has already been made public through investigative findings?
Charter section 470(k):
No contribution shall be made, directly or indirectly, by any person or combination of persons, acting jointly in a name other than the name by which they are identified for legal purposes, nor in the name of another person or combination of persons. No person shall make a contribution in his, her or its name of anything belonging to another person or received from another person on the condition that it be used as a contribution. In the event it is discovered by a candidate or committee treasurer that a contribution has been received in violation of this subsection, the candidate or treasurer shall promptly pay the amount received in violation of this subsection to the City Treasurer for deposit in the General Fund of the City.
"Why don't we just elect the gang members to office and we can save a step, and become a lot more efficient in the RACKETEERING!"
We already have!
One big organization "providing housing" that nobody seems to look at or talks about but should is CENTURY HOUSING.
I would look at their political contributions.
"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. Thousands of Peace Corps volunteers are making a difference in isolated villages and city slums in dozens of countries. Thousands of unknown men and women in Europe resisted the occupation of the Nazis and many died, but all added to the ultimate strength and freedom of their countries. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
Robert F. Kennedy
Nope, ZD, this is definitely NOT you, you wanna be loser.
Boy, NBC and Ana Garcia/Paul Moyer must really hate the Mayor, the way they're pursuing him lack pit bulls. The way Ana Garcia tried to do another Unger on him, though, right after that port incident, makes me suspicious of them. Is she jealous she's not the Hispanic who had the inside scoop on him for years? Paul Moyer looks redfaced, flushed with excitement. Too bad they had to end up with such a limp conclusion. The Dogg will have to find out what Shady Tactics really are going down downtown. It comes off as kind of funny, frankly. It took them two months of many people to do this? Even dumber than when it took the L A Times reporters two months of staking out a condo complex in Hollywood to determine that not that many residents relied heavily on nearby mass transit. The only organizations more wasteful than government have to be the corporate media.
2:53, what do you expect from the liberal broadcast media? In more than just a few instances, they tend to act as spinners for the liberals in office who get caught doing something illegal, but let a conservative make the same mistake and they won't let him or her live it down.
A primary example is our own mayor. The stink finally got so bad that they reported on it, but didn't give the story much air time.
4:38: Gotta disagree with the last point. Once they got hold of the Mayor Mirthala story, they were like a dog with a bone, wouldn't let go. The Times has an ongoing Reader Opinion blog, updates, Lopez was about as mean as you can get, George Skelton pretty brutal. In fact, they went on so much, along with the tv and other media, the guy couldn't get his job done for many months. They're slow to get going on something, which is good and bad, as they want evidence, but then it's a race for more, more.
Ch. 4, Garcia/Moyer seem to have a unique vendetta, to prove they're not under the Mirthala/Telemundo spell and are "better than that."
But these reporters are at least as self-promoting as the politicians they're covering, so it's always necessary to view them with skepticism. They're out to make a name for themselves.
You're probably right about the liberal bias with the big papers, but with the Republican Party in California being rightwing bozos, what can you expect? Remember how they withheld transportation funds from L A and S F in particular?
Whoa, I just stopped by to urge people to watch KNBC's story. With some encouragement, they will I'm sure go futher.
As to charges of bias, if this were Bushitler, would you even raise the issue? Good grief, you don't believe these sleazebags in City Hall are honest, do you?
Re money from developers, I had to laugh. Isn't it obvious that they are building tenements....er, loft housing, just like developers did a century ago, and importing people from other countries to up the demand and the prices (and property taxes)? I ask you, what has the housing bubble done for you? Unless you're cashing out and leaving Ca, the answer is NOTHING. Do the math.
Actually, 5:53, the housing bubble is a good thing for renters who have been saving at least $500 per month over the past 10 years. The current predictions state that the housing market will not recover until somewhere in mid- to late 2009. At this rate, renters who have been saving at the previously stated rate will have approximately $69K in their savings accounts, not including interest, which could round out their savings at around $76K.
If a 20% down is required with top credit scoring (700+), a house could be bought at a $380K price tag. If one manages their money correctly, however, and starts saving at an accelerated rate within the next two years, they might be able to qualify for a house at around $400K-$500K on a 20% down payment.
This housing bubble burst is actually a good thing, but to take a quote out of context: "L.A.'s The Place... not to buy a house!"
8:07pm,
Thanks for that finacial breakdown. Even though I'm (unfortunatley) not affected by any of that info, I enjoy learning about that kind of stuff and like seeing it here.
Hola!!! Coma Esta!!! Esta Aqui?!!!
Anonymous said...
Hola!!! Coma Esta!!! Esta Aqui?!!!
Aqui esta? Esta como?? Aloha!!!
Lead Bottom earns his pay
Rocky "Lead Bottom" Delgadillo said L.A. exotic dancers will be required to wear a license to perform in strip clubs, under a new amendment to the city's human display law the Los Angeles City Council is expected to pass on Thursday.
The dancers will be required to wear the permit, a move aimed at making it easier for police to identify them and punish violators.
"If we find a dancer who breaks the human display ordinance multiple times...we can in effect move in, arrest, and take away their permit and they can no longer be licensed to dance, so said Lead Bottom.
How many piles of crap are there in a buttload?
My friend Jim and his friend Mack once worked out a system of units that related "piles of shit" upto full "buttloads". He wrote it down for me a few weeks ago. With his permission, here it is for the world to enjoy.
Units of Junk 10 pieces of shit = 1 pile of crap
10 piles of crap = 1 pile of shit
10 piles of shit = 1 crock of shit
10 crocks of shit = 1 buttload
10 buttloads = 1 herkin buttload
10 herkin buttloads = 1 fuckton
This comment has been removed by the author.
Conveniently, this system is nicely extensible:
10 fucktons = 1 metric fuckton
100 fucktons = 1 boatload of shit
Now, 10 fucktons = 1 load of crap (loading implying a shipping carton), and then 1000 loads of crap = 1 boatload of shit, for a thousand standard shipping cartons on a barge. It's common in my friends circles to refer to imperial buttloads and metric buttloads. I'm unclear what the conversionis, though? I thought it was 2.2 times a standard buttload. Hmmm? Now...I must go with my olla to Carrillo's (menudo), and charlar with the young Mission Hills L.A.P.D. officer's and S.F.P.D. best, as they also frequent this legendary landmark.
I think city council members are stuck on STUPID. There have been so many community meetings where residents just slam their stupidity and wonder how they sleep at night. These are the worst group of reps this city has had in years. Add to that the lazy ass LA reporters who refuse to do a credible story. Very disappointed in David Z. Did you see the photo of Tienne Pearce on his story? I know it was his call but his stories aren't as "Geraldo" investigative as they were at Weekly. He definitely has chilled and Steve Hymon and Steve Lopez come off as weirdos. Funny LA Slimes took the story from Daily News on the church getting the bill for sanctuary last week.
steve hymon is the laziest kiss-ass I have ever seen in my life.
to watch him sit there with jackass weiss and laugh it up during a hearing about skid row problems is disgusting.
his response to me was, "my job is different than yours." (meaning he is not there to pay attention to the hearings.) BUT DON'T PREVENT TO COUNCILMEMBERS FROM DOING THEIR JOB YOU ARROGANT, LAZY-ASS.
David Z...VERY IMPRESSED...everytime he does a story, i get a hundred emails from people who tell me "the real deal" (in beteween the lines) stuff he either leaves out on purpose, or doesn't want to know.
That's why I'm gettting more inside info than I can even process. (used to go to the times, now it goes to ZD). Let's see how their DWP coverage compares to what is coming this week to Mayor Sam's blog.
Z man is just disappointing, but if Hymon were a doctor, he should be sued for malpractice, that arrogant jack-weiss tip-rider.
Janice Hahn is a dumb ass. Why didn't council WAIT until Chick did her audit instead of rushing to place a gang tax not even knowing what the outcome would be? Council will again LIE and DECEIVE the public by FEAR on the gang problem. LA Bridges gave money to 6 city council members so our tax dollars aren't going to prevention/intervention, its going to the political campaigns of city council members and the mayor. The city is in a $300 million deficit because of bad spending. But they want US to help them out when city council screwed up big time.
.....The city controller's ongoing assessment of our gang programs will be complete in January of 2008, giving us the needed blueprint to evaluate every program in the city. We will not fund programs that are not working.
- Janice Hahn
Councilwoman
City of Los Angeles
KFI broke the story that a settlement between the city and Tennie Pierce was coming down on Friday. Sure enough, $1.4 MILLION!!!!! Read the story.
Call Mayor Villar and the City Council immediately to express your outrage!
Villar:
213/978-0600 (Phone)
Mayor’s Communications Office at 213-978-0741 and 213-219-1303
L.A. City Coucilmembers who voted for this:
Ed Reyes: (213)-473-7001
Tom LaBonge: (213)-473-7004
Tony Cardenas: (213)-473-7006
Richard Alarcon: (213)-473-7007
Bernard Parks: (213)-473-7008
Jan Perry: (213)-473-7009
Herb Wesson: (213)-473-7010
Eric Garcetti: (213)-473-7013
Jose Huizar: (213)-473-7014
Janice Hahn: (213)-473-7015
Re: gang tax -
"This is outta control!"
Anti-Money Laundering Training Program
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