Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee, who is seeking reelection next year to represent voters in the West San Fernando Valley, vehemently denied wrongdoing on Monday, Oct. 2, after the city’s ethics commission announced that Lee may have violated ethics laws while working for former City Councilmember Mitch Englander.
According to the commission, there is “probable cause” to believe that Lee accepted gifts in excess of a gift limit, failed to report gifts, misused his city position, and aided and abetted another person’s misuse of a city position.
The commission also noted that a finding of a probable cause doesn’t mean that Lee has actually violated the laws. That will be determined at a future hearing.
Lee represents Council District 12, which includes Chatsworth, Granada Hills, North Hills, Northridge, Porter Ranch, Sherwood Forest and West Hills.
He said in a statement late Monday that the accusations against him are “misguided” and “based on conjecture instead of actual evidence.”
“I refuse to be bullied by investigators that are seemingly more focused on garnering headlines than pursuing facts, evidence and the truth, even at the expense of people’s reputations,” said Lee, pledging to “vigorously fight these baseless accusations.”
According to the ethics commission, the alleged violations occurred while Lee was a city employee, working for then-Councilmember Mitchell Englander, including as his chief of staff.
Several people were the focus of a corruption probe at City Hall by the Department of Justice, dubbed Operation Casino Loyale, and several pleaded guilty to varying charges in different cases, including former councilmember Englander. Englander pleaded not guilty to several federal charges in 2021, then pleaded guilty to one count of scheming to falsify material facts, according to the Department of Justice. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison. He was released from federal custody on Feb. 3, 2022.
In 2016…
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