Planes, Casinos, Sexual Harassment and a Chinese Billionaire: LA Councilman Charged In Massive Bribery Case

NBC reports many of the facts of the case, but leaves readers to guess which party the alleged bribe-taker belongs to.

Jose Huizar, 61, was arrested at his home on a federal racketeering charge amid an ongoing FBI corruption probe, according to federal prosecutors in California.

Huizar is accused of turning his city council seat into what U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna described as a “money-making criminal enterprise that shaped the development landscape in Los Angeles.”

Notice NBC hasn’t named his party yet. Makes one wonder if their Verification Unit was too busy to deploy Google search.

In one case, Huizar received $600,000 from an unidentified Chinese billionaire who runs a global real estate firm and who owns a hotel in Huizar’s district, the complaint says.

The money was provided as collateral to help Huizar settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him by a former staffer, according to the complaint.

This case truly has it all.

Well, except for large wads of cash hidden in suspicious ways.

Wait, it has that too.

When federal agents searched Huizar’s home in November 2018, the criminal complaint says, they found about $129,000 in cash hidden in a closet. Some of the money was concealed in red envelopes with Chinese characters, according to the complaint.

LA’s city council wasted little time once news broke. They’ve suspended him, which means he cannot vote on matters before the council.

The L.A. City Council just unanimously voted (14-0) to suspend Councilman Jose Huizar from the council.

— Emily Alpert Reyes (@AlpertReyes) June 23, 2020

At least one fellow member is calling on Huizar to resign. Others called for his resignation when his home was first raided in 2018, but he stayed put and despite his current suspension, is still being paid.

When his home was raided in November 2018, Huizar had the gall to float the idea of his wife running for the seat to replace him. He’s term-limited after 2020. That didn’t quite work out the way he’d planned.

Huizar is a lifelong Democrat.