Former LA City Councilman Jose Huizar Sentenced To 13 Years In Federal Prison

Former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar was sentenced to 13 years in Federal prison on Friday on racketeering and tax evasion charges after having plead guilty last year to avoid a February trial.

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 of last year, 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.

Huizar gets 13 years

This led to Friday when 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.

“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 on Friday. “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.”

Following the sentencing, Huizar told NBC in an interview, “I’d like to think I made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of people in my district and the city as a whole. This process painted a picture of someone who I am not. I know who I am. I just hope to move on from this and I just hope to move on from this now and heal. There’s a lot of healing to do. I love this city, I love my constituents. I hope I didn’t let them down.”

“It’s hard. It’s something that no one would want to go through and I never imagined myself going through something like this. Nobody does. When you’re involved in high-stakes games and politics, you don’t imagine to be in this situation but unfortunately I am. Like I said, I know who I am and this process made me out to be someone who I’m not.”

However, local residents, once supporters of Huizar four years ago, now feel betrayed by him.

“He says that the process made him someone who he isn’t? I’m sorry, but no one believes that,” Boyle Heights resident Ana Cardenas, who lives two blocks away from Huizar’s house, told the Globe Friday. “At first, after his arrest, you know, many of us thought that maybe this didn’t happen. You know, innocent until proven guilty. Maybe the feds got something wrong. And, because of what he did for the community, many of us were inclined to believe he was innocent.”

“But it just kept coming in, it was so obvious. And we would have respected him if he just owned up to it in full. He did make that deal last year, but that statement he gave today, that rubbed everyone the wrong way. Because he did let us down. He keeps saying that this isn’t who he is, but he is. He should just have said that he did that. But he didn’t.”

“My grandmother, she’s a typical abuela. Made it to the country a long time ago and raised her family in a small house. Always votes for every Latino candidate on the ballot regardless. Huizar was the first one she said she would rather vote for someone else in she was so disappointed. When a Latino does that to another in their neighborhood, it’s serious. That’s how bad Huizar hurt us here. He obviously didn’t respect the city or his constituents.”

Huizar is expected to report to Federal prison soon.