Former LA City Councilman Jose Huizar Begins 13 Year Federal Prison Sentence

Former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar surrendered to U.S. Bureau of Prisons officials at Federal Correction Institution Lompoc II (FCI Lompoc II) on Monday, beginning his 13 year prison sentence for racketeering and tax evasion crimes.

Between 2013 and 2017, Huizar was alleged to have taken around $1.5 million  in bribes in a “pay to play” scheme to approve or halt buildings within the city. Among the benefits Huizar is alleged to have received are trips to Las Vegas, campaign contributions, luxury hotel stays, and $600,000 to pay off a sexual harassment lawsuit. Of the $1.5 million that Huizar reportedly had taken, over $800,000 came from Chinese billionaire Wei Huang, hoping to build the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

Federal investigations in the late 2010’s led to his arrest by the FBI in 2020. As Huizar had allegedly attempted to hide the $1.5 million from government officials and took bribes, as well as other allegations including fraud and making false statements on a loan, he was additionally charged with one count of conspiring to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. In total, he faced up to 20 years in a federal prison.

“This case pulled back the curtain on rampant corruption at City Hall,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna in 2020. “Councilman Huizar violated the public trust to a staggering degree, allegedly soliciting and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from multiple sources over many years. He decided which projects lived and which projects died.”

Huizar’s arrest was part of a larger FBI probe that led to other arrests including former LA Councilman Mitch Englander and Huizar’s former aide George Esparza.

Due to COVID pandemic delays, court dates were pushed back. However, with chances of avoiding jail time dwindling and being ousted out of his Council position in October 2020, Huizar and his legal team decided to avoid a lengthy trial . In January 2023, Huizar pled guilty to racketeering and tax evasion charges. According to the deal, Huizar would receive between only 9 and 13 years in Federal Prison instead of the original maximum of 20. During sentencing in January of this year, Huizar received the full 13 years in federal prison. In addition to the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay $443,905 in restitution to the City of Los Angeles and $38,792 in restitution to the IRS.

A 13 year sentence

“This years-long investigation uncovered one of the most audacious public corruption cases in this city’s history,” said the assistant Director of the FBI’s field office Donald Alway in January. “Mr. Huizar ignored the needs of his constituents and instead, served his own interests by accepting bribes and a wide assortment of luxury perks from wealthy real estate moguls and others who could afford Huizar’s political favors at the taxpayer’s expense. My hope is that this case brings more citizens forward to the FBI when they suspect corrupt practices and foreign influence.”

Huizar was originally expected to begin his sentence on August 30th. However, due to “Good cause,” Huizar didn’t have to report for another 5 weeks. Court filings later showed that the “good cause” was an undiagnosed health problem. With that cleared, up, Huizar surrendered to federal prison officials in Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, ready to begin his 13 year sentence at FCI Lompoc II, a low security federal prison.

Representatives for Huizar had nothing to say on Monday and Tuesday, with federal prison officials only telling the media that “Jose Luis Huizar is currently in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Lompoc II.”

Others involved in the scandals were also sentenced recently, including former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan who, because he acted as an intermediary for the pay-to-play scandal, was sentenced to 12 years in prison last week. Only Wei Huang has not been tried, due to him being in China where he is currently a fugitive from justice.

“Huizar could have been Mayor or a Congressman now if he had not have done that,” explained Jorge Ramos, a Los Angeles pollster focusing on Hispanic communities, to the Globe on Tuesday. “He was a school board member, and for 15 years, served on the City Council. For most career politicians, that is a good pedigree to move up. But then he took those bribes and destroyed people’s trust in him.

“So 13 years in jail, or maybe a few years less with good behavior. When he gets out, there is no way he can pick up where he left off. He’s done in politics no matter what. There won’t be a warm reception when he gets out either. And ask around in his former district. People feel betrayed. They don’t want to remember this guy. In fact, a lot of people have said he should have gotten longer.”

Huizar is currently scheduled to be released in 2037.