LOS ANGELES — City Councilman Jose Huizar, long considered the central figure in a nearly two-year federal bribery and corruption probe at City Hall, has been arrested at his Boyle Heights home.
Justin Kim, a former City Hall fundraiser, pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge for arranging a $500,000 bribe for a council member.
The council member in Kim’s case was not identified, but details in court papers pointed squarely at Huizar.
Prosecutors allege in the court papers that the developer took Esparza and the council member on more than a dozen trips to Las Vegas between 2014 and 2017 and provided them with “flights on private jets, hotel rooms, spa services, meals, alcohol, prostitution/escort services and casino gambling chips.”
The court papers cite text messages between Esparza and the council member following the Australia and Las Vegas trips, detailing efforts to cover up the payments and expenses they received from the developer.
