‘Indirect bribes’ went to family members of officials in City Hall corruption case, feds say

Los Angeles Times ^ | May 2, 2021 | DAVID ZAHNISER, EMILY ALPERT REYES

[BenLurkin]

Prosecutors brought an indictment alleging that former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan, while working for downtown developers, set up a job for the family member of a city commissioner; had his company hire a relative of a City Council aide; and proposed a fake consulting contract with another city staffer’s mother.

Such job offers, even modest ones, were a way of greasing the wheels of the city bureaucracy, prosecutors allege.

Experts say indirect bribes can be more difficult to uncover than a typical quid pro quo in which someone gives money directly to a government official.

In one example, prosecutors accuse Chan of directing a businessman who sold high-end cabinets to hire a relative of Joel Jacinto, one of Garcetti’s appointees on the Board of Public Works, according to the indictment and city records.

That businessman had been looking to get his products into downtown high-rises, prosecutors said. Federal investigators have not publicly named the businessman, saying he had been cooperating with the FBI. However, The Times identified him last year as Andy Wang...

Chan had been working as a real estate consultant on a plan to demolish the Luxe City Center in downtown Los Angeles and replace it with new hotel and residential towers. He viewed Jacinto as someone with influence over that project at City Hall, according to details in the indictment.

Harland Braun, Chan’s attorney, argued that prosecutors are wrongly portraying Chan’s ordinary business activities as federal crimes. Chan recommended people for various jobs while working as a consultant, Braun said. However, those activities do not come close to the definition of a bribe under federal law, he said.

Prosecutors’ case against Chan will fall apart, Braun said, because they lack evidence of a quid pro quo.

[BenLurkin]

“Sometimes it’s more difficult for the jury to understand that the politician is getting a benefit if the money is going to some company that a family member is connected to.”

[Repeal The 17th]

Such as it ever was...

[Pollard]

I first read the title as “indirect brides”.

Of course, that’s how politics has always worked, even down to small town politics. Politician’s buddies get the city contracts. At the fed level it’s the same. Look at Cheney/Haliburton.

Graham is a war monger so he must have some way of getting rich off of the industrial war complex.

Insider trading - it’s done, even if not directly by the fedgov pols.

[monkeyshine]

‘Indirect bribes’ went to family members of officials

I'm shocked!
(insert Casablanca meme here)

[monkeyshine]

He puts the con in conviction!

[Freee-dame]

.The “legal” corruption by family and close friends of people high up in government is described very well in Peter Schweizer’s outstanding book “Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends.” The book, published in 2018, has an entire section on the Biden family.

Spouses of DC bigs must be included on financial disclosure forms. No disclosure is required from any other family member. Congress writes the laws to protect themselves and to keep the money flowing. This is one of the main reasons that the entire swamp is protecting itself and would do anything to defeat Trump. Even if what they do to enrich their families is legal, voters would not like it.

[alternatives?]

“feds say”

They should know corruption.

[DannyTN]

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Circus of grift.