Mark Ridley-Thomas, who is currently suspended from the Los Angeles City Council but was once one of L.A.’s most powerful politicians, goes on trial Tuesday on federal bribery and corruption charges. The charges involve actions he allegedly took in 2017 and 2018 when he sat on the county Board of Supervisors.
Prosecutors accuse Ridley-Thomas of promising to vote in favor of lucrative county contracts for the USC School of Social Work in exchange for the school’s dean, Marilyn Flynn, providing his son a full scholarship and a paid faculty position.
Ridley-Thomas faces 19 counts, including conspiracy, bribery and wire fraud, and could be sentenced to up to 35 years in prison if convicted.
When the indictment was announced, Michael Proctor, who was then Ridley-Thomas’ lawyer, told the Los Angeles Times his client was “shocked by the federal allegations leveled against him, and with good reason. They are wrong, and we look forward to disproving them.”
In his 30 years of holding elected office, Ridley-Thomas has never “abused his position for personal gain,” Proctor said.
Flynn left USC and pleaded guilty to bribery. She is awaiting sentencing.
An L.A. native with a long political history
Ridley-Thomas, 68, was born and raised in L.A. and was president of the city’s chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for a decade until 1991, when he was elected to the City Council. He served until 2002, representing the 8th district, which covers large swaths of South L.A.
He served in the state legislature for six years before being elected to the county Board of Supervisors in 2008. He was termed out of office in 2020 and…
Read the full article here
