Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was “shocked'' by his federal indictment on conspiracy and bribery charges, his attorney said, insisting the powerful politician has never leveraged his elected posts for personal benefit.
The charges stem from allegations that Ridley-Thomas s son Sebastian received substantial benefits from the University of Southern California in exchange for the politician s support for the school.
Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas (D) was indicted on federal bribery charges Wednesday in connection with an alleged scheme to provide lucrative contracts in exchange for his son being admitted to a university master's program.
As part of the bribery scheme, Ridley-Thomas and Flynn allegedly took steps “to disguise, conceal, and cover up the bribes, kickbacks, and other benefits defendant Ridley-Thomas and MRT Relative 1 received,” which included concealing the official acts Ridley-Thomas agreed to perform and did perform in exchange for the financial benefits. The pair also concealed, according to the indictment, the true purpose of the money funneled to MRT Relative 1’s nonprofit through the university, which also violated multiple university policies regarding the funding of nonprofits.
The indictment alleges Ridley-Thomas and a received substantial benefits from the university in exchange for the politician's support of contracts while he served on the county Board of Supervisors.