Former LA Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas Sentenced To 42 Months In Prison

U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer sentenced disgraced former Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas to 42 months in prison over four counts of honest services wire fraud, and one count each of  of honest services mail fraud, bribery, and conspiracy.

The case against Ridley-Thomas, who has served as a Los Angeles City Councilman, Assemblyman, State Senator, and LA County Supervisor at different times between 1991 and 2022, dates back to the mid 2010s. According to the indictment, Ridley-Thomas gave $100,000 to the USC School of Social Work through his political campaign fund. In turn, the school’s dean, Marilyn Flynn, sent the money to a think tank run by his son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. His son, who was a state Assemblyman from 2013 until 2017 when he resigned after sexual harassment allegations came to light, was to get benefits from USC, such as a graduate school admission and a scholarship, in exchange for the elder Ridley-Thomas to support contracts between the County and USC.

While Ridley-Thomas has had a long history of controversies, none of them ever stuck long enough to actually threaten a removal from office. However, the USC scandal changed all that. In 2019 the investigation into his son brought authorities to investigate the elder Ridley-Thomas, and by October 2021, he was indicted on one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, two counts of honest services mail fraud, and fifteen counts of honest services wire fraud. This was enough for the City Council to vote to suspend him. While his suspended seat was finally ended for good in March 2022 when Herb Wesson was brought in on an appointed basis, the case against Ridley-Thomas played out in court. Meanwhile, Flynn pleaded guilty in September 2022 to one count of bribery, and was formally sentenced to 18 months of home confinement in July.

In June, Ridley-Thomas gave one final push to absolve himself, demanding that the guilty verdict be vacated for a new trial or that he be acquitted on all charges. However, that attempt failed, and on Monday, Ridley-Thomas found himself before Judge Fischer in Los Angeles for a final time. In addition to the 42 months in prison, Ridley-Thomas was fined $30,000 and will be supervised for three years following release from prison. As he will be turning 69 years old in November, Ridley-Thomas will not be a free man until 72, and will be supervised until age 75.

Judge Fischer, who was appointed to the United States District Court for the Central District of California by then-President George W. Bush in 2003, said during the sentencing on Monday that “Ridley-Thomas’ motive was to benefit his son and himself. He was willing to betray the trust placed in him by the community to do so. Ridley-Thomas has committed serious crimes, has not accepted responsibility, and has shown no remorse. He was the moving force in this scheme. There is simply no justification for monetizing one’s office.”

Before the sentencing, Ridley Thomas spoke and pleaded with the Judge to put him on probation instead of giving him any prison time, despite federal officials recommending between 18 months and 6 years in prison. He also stated that he did not break the law, despite being found guilty earlier this year.

42 months in prison

“I apologize to my wife, sons, daughter-in-law and grandchildren whose lives have been disrupted and traumatically impacted. I regret my conduct, but I did not break the law.”

“This case exists somewhere between what is clearly legal conduct on one end, and clearly illegal conduct on the other. While I definitely disagree as to whether I crossed that line into illegal conduct, I acknowledge with clarity where I belonged was at the end of the spectrum where there would be little, if any, question of even the appearance of unlawfulness.”

Ridley-Thomas’ lawyers echoed his statement following the sentencing on Monday, vowing to appeal the decision.

“It is a sad day for everyone,” said defense attorney Galia Amram. “My client regrets deeply that his actions caused anyone to think that he crossed the line. I will pursue an appeal. While we respect the jury’s decision at trial and the court’s decision today, there are significant legal issues that need to be addressed on appeal.”

U.S. Attorneys, meanwhile, simply said that justice had been served, and that the sentence will further give lawmakers and public officials even more pause in trying similar things in the future.

“Mr. Ridley-Thomas was an immensely powerful politician,” said U.S. attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada. “The sentence imposed today shows that the law has meaning, and it gives notice to all public officials who would consider violating their sacred trust.”

Legal experts told the Globe on Monday that the 42 months would likely stay in place on appeal, as there are no major health or other factors that could possibly limit how much time he actually serves.

“He is appealing, but it is not looking like it will be successful,” said Brad Cousins, a lawyer in the LA region. “Ridley-Thomas’ insistence that he did not break the law at all, despite the seven guilty verdicts and mountains of evidence, probably played a factor in giving him more than the recommended minimum of 18 months. You can’t say that you show remorse and don’t show remorse at the same time.”

“He’s going to prison, will be supervised for quite some time after getting out, and has to pay a big fine. But, like any of these cases, the destruction of his legacy stings the most. There will be no streets named after him, no statues going up, or anything like that. If he hadn’t done this, his legacy would have been secure, as he had a long influential history. He did it to himself.”

Ridley-Thomas is expected to surrender by November 5th and begin his prison sentence.