Free Republic

LOS ANGELES – The attorney for Robert Rizzo says the disgraced former city manager of Bell, Calif., has pleaded no contest to all 69 state corruption counts against him because he wants to take responsibility for mistakes he made and put his legal troubles behind him. Attorney James Spertus said Thursday he expects Rizzo will be given 10 to 12 years in prison when he is sentenced March 12. He remains free on bail until then.

Robert Rizzo might be due back pay from the city of Bell after officials reneged on an agreement to provide the longtime city administrator with severance payments and other benefits when he resigned earlier this summer, his attorney claimed Thursday. Attorney James Spertus said the city is violating state labor laws by not paying Rizzo's salary and should begin new negotiations over his departure. The accusation threatens to create another potentially costly battle for the struggling city, which is operating with the majority of council members facing criminal charges and trying to deal with millions of dollars in revenue losses...

Former Bell, CA City Manager Robert Rizzo, after a March DUI arrestIn a press conference moments ago, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley announced charges against the eight Bell, California city officials who were arrested today after they inflated their salaries, allegedly using around $5.5 million in public funds. Former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo, who allegedly banked close to $800,000 a year, was charged with "53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest," according to the Los Angeles Times.According to the Times, "Angela Spaccia, former assistant city manager; Mayor Oscar Hernandez; councilmembers George Mirabal, Teresa...

BELL, Calif. - A former Bell city official's huge $787,000 salary is only half of his unusually generous total compensation, according to local media reports. KTTV Fox 11 News first reported on Friday night that former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo's benefits, which include 20 weeks paid vacation, bring his total annual compensation to more than $1.5 million. According to public records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Rizzo was to receive $386,786 in paid vacation and sick benefits this year, in addition to his base salary. The documents show that Rizzo's investment accounts and other benefits received payments. The...

Bell city manager gets $600,000 per year to retire? Talk about adding insult to injury... Robert Rizzo the city manager of the small city of Bell is getting paid almost $800,000-a-year. (He's the 'Chief Administrative Officer' in Bell.) But wait.. there's more.