Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday for racketeering and tax evasion, marking the final step in the stunning downfall of a once-promising Mexican-born politician some had considered could one day be mayor.
As part of a plea deal struck last year in federal court, Huizar, 55, had agreed not to ask for fewer than nine years in prison. He is the third former member of the city council convicted in separate corruption cases in recent years.
Two others stand accused of corruption.
In sentencing Huizar, Judge John Walter said the former council member did “extraordinary harm to the political system in the city of Los Angeles” and “demeaned the integrity and work ethic” of other elected officials. The judge acknowledged Huizar’s rise “from humble beginnings” and said Huizar’s success story comes to an “incredible sad ending.”
“Its difficult to understand why he threw it all away,” the judge said.
Walter added that Huizar’s attempt to downplay his actions by saying the projects he supported in exchange for bribes were good for the city shows “he has little remorse.”
In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered Huizar to pay $444,000 restitution to the city.
“He used his power to use City Hall like his personal ATM and he treated the people who relied on City Hall like pawns in a chess game,” said U.S. Attorney Martín Estrada, whose office prosecuted the case.
“This is the most substantial sentence to date in our ongoing efforts to root out public corruption,” Estrada said after the sentencing hearing. “We now have a landmark sentence which we hope will send a clear message that public corruption will not be tolerated in our city.”
Prosecutors said Huizar was at the center of a wide-ranging…
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