Free Republic

The former head of Fleishman-Hillard's Los Angeles public relations office who got millions of dollars in city contracts while providing free services to Mayor James Hahn's administration was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy. In the latest development in the investigation of City Hall corruption, Douglas R. Dowie, 57, of West Hills was accused in a 14-page indictment of bilking the city Department of Water and Power out of at least $300,000 over a four-year period. The firm held a $3 million-a-year contract with the DWP as well as public relations contracts...

The federal investigation of City Hall corruption will lead to a second indictment soon in connection with alleged overbilling of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power by the Fleishman-Hillard public-relations firm, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. Kamenstein disclosed in court Monday. Kamenstein told U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess that there would be a superseding indictment, which would add one other individual as a defendant, in the 11-count wire-fraud case against John Stodder, a former senior vice president at Fleishman-Hillard. Kamenstein offered no other details beyond indicating that the indictment could come down before the May 17 runoff...