In a firm demonstration of justice, Jose Luis Huizar, the 55-year-old former Los Angeles City Councilmember from Boyle Heights, was sentenced to 13 years of incarceration in a federal prison. This sentence follows Huizar’s plea of guilt to charges of tax evasion and participation in a conspiracy against the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act a year prior.
US Judge John Walter of the Central District of California also ordered Huizar to pay a sum of $443,905 in restitution to the City of Los Angeles and a further $38,792 to the Internal Revenue Service. Such definitive sentencing reinforces the principle conveyed by US Attorney Martin Estrada: “No one is above the law”.
Huizar, during his tenure from December 2006 to August 2020, represented Council District 14—a jurisdiction that encompasses several neighborhoods, including Downtown, Boyle Heights, and Eagle Rock, to name a few. His two-decade-long career collapsed under the weight of a wide-ranging probe that unearthed a sordid tale of corruption and betrayal of public faith.
Designated as a key player in an intricate bribery blueprint, Huizar was found to have succumbed to nearly $2 million worth of enticements from a Chinese tycoon, intent on procuring the city’s nod to erect a skyscraper destined to redefine Los Angeles’ skyline. Federal prosecutors laid bare a narrative in which Huizar bartered his influence and decision-making authority for cash, casino chips, and indulgences in vice, including services of prostitution, facilitated by Huang Wei of the Shenzhen New World Group.
The decadence enveloping the scheme was marked by extravagant voyages to Las Vegas, where, under the glitter of casino lights, piles of money exchanged hands in the covert confines of establishments like the Cosmopolitan. Huang’s overtures not only involved personal gratifications but extended to under-the-table funds aimed at settling a sexual harassment suit that threatened Huizar’s council position. In a shrouded transaction, prosecutors allege an amount of $600,000 was channeled from Huang to Huizar, sustaining the councilmember’s grip on power.
While seven others implicated in the scheme have faced the legal music, admitting guilt or being convinced of their roles, Huang Wei remains elusive. Labelled a fugitive, described to likely be ensconced in China, Huang faces a litany of felony charges, with US justice yet to catch up with him.
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