Former Los Angeles deputy mayor Raymond Chan convicted in real estate corruption scandal
- Chan was a key intermediary between Chinese developers looking to build high-rises and Jose Huizar, who headed a committee that shepherded such projects
- US attorney Martin Estrada said Chan ‘used his leadership position in City Hall to favour corrupt individuals and companies willing to play dirty’
Former Los Angeles deputy mayor Raymond Chan was convicted on Wednesday of racketeering, bribery, fraud and giving false statements to investigators in a sprawling pay-to-play corruption scandal at City Hall.
The federal jury reached the guilty verdict less than 24 hours after lawyers finished closing arguments, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Sentencing was set for June 10. Chan’s lawyer, John Hanusz, told the judge that they will appeal.
“Chan used his leadership position in City Hall to favour corrupt individuals and companies willing to play dirty,” US attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “With today’s verdict, we send a strong message that the public will not stand for corruption and that pay-to-play politics has no place in our community.”
This was Chan’s second trial in the bribery case involving downtown Los Angeles real estate development projects. The first fell apart after his lawyer, Harland Braun, was hospitalised and unable to return to work for months. A judge declared a mistrial last April.
In the latest trial, assistant US attorney Brian R. Faerstein told jurors that Chan and former city councilmember Jose Huizar used the downtown real estate boom of the prior decade to enrich themselves and their allies, the Times reported.