Prosecutors are expected to urge a federal judge to sentence prominent Los Angeles County politician Mark Ridley-Thomas Monday to six years behind bars for voting in support of county contracts that would favor USC while accepting benefits for his son from the university.
Jurors, who reached their verdicts on their fifth day of deliberations in Los Angeles federal court, acquitted him of a dozen fraud counts.
Flynn, an 84-year-old former dean of the social work school at USC who pleaded guilty to bribing the veteran politician, was sentenced last month to 18 months home confinement and ordered to pay a $150,000 fine. Urging the judge to impose "the highest penalty that his crimes allow," the former police chief wrote that Ridley-Thomas' "continued failure to accept responsibility or show remorse is also reprehensible. What's more, he's attempted to use his race to undermine the public's faith in the judicial process and has encouraged others to do so as well.
Federal prosecutors based their case on a long string of emails and letters they say showed that Ridley-Thomas, one of the most formidable politicians in Los Angeles, "used his publicly-provided privileges to monetize his elected office and demand benefits for his son." "He has been in the public eye for decades," his lawyers wrote. "His reputation was built on ethical community empowerment. The shame of his convictions is punishment and provides ample specific deterrence.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
MRT's Political LegacyA look back at Mark Ridley-Thomas' career
Read more »
Bernard Parks’ letter to Ridley-Thomas judge prompts ethics complaintA letter to Parks from Acting City Clerk Petty F. Santos states that the clerk’s office received the ethics complaint, and that the ex-councilman is “hereby required to cease and desist…
Read more »
Mark Meadows' attorney has a 'tight needle to thread:' Former prosecutorMeadows' legal team on Tuesday filed a request to remove his felony criminal proceedings in Fulton County, Georgia, to a federal court.
Read more »
Mark Ridley-Thomas Is Being Sentenced Today. Supporters Say That Shouldn't Define His LegacyOn the day the ex-councilmember and county supervisor commonly known as MRT is to be sentenced on a corruption conviction, we look back at his long career in L.A. progressive politics.
Read more »
Here's the Kevin Hart Racing Video That Landed Him in a WheelchairThe comedian and ex-NFL running back, Stevan Ridley, raced at least twice.
Read more »