Free Republic

A Los Angeles federal grand jury today indicted a former high-ranking executive of the Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm for his part in a scheme that defrauded the Dept. of Water and Power of at least $250,000 and cheated private clients by lesser amounts. The indictment alleges that John Stodder, Jr., a one-time partner and senior vice president who ran the firm's local public affairs practice, participated with "others known and unknown" to routinely submit inflated billings to the DWP, the Port of Los Angeles, the World Wide Church of God and the firm of world-renown architect Frank Gehry. Law enforcement...

Four local governmental entities have joined a whistle-blower legal action claiming the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power overbilled them by about $140 million since 1990, according to a lawsuit unsealed Monday. Accusations of false claims and other irregularities were made by the county of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Community College District. The action had been foreshadowed March 22, when Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a separate legal claim alleging $60 million in DWP overbillings. The claimants are seeking damages that could cost...