Complaint Review: CITY ATTORNEY ROCKARD J. DELGADILLO AKA ROCKY DELGADILLO ROCK JUAN DELDADILLO - Los Angeles California

KNBC Investigation: Laundered Elections Most Viewed Top Rated Most E-mailed Contact NBC4 KNBC-TV Updated: 7:54 a.m. MT Sept 22, 2007 STUDIO INTRODUCTION: It's part of the urban legend of Los Angeles that big money controls the politicians. But do the facts match the legend? The following report, based on a two-months investigation, may strengthen your worst suspicions. Responses To Investigation: Laundered Elections | Video KNBC'S PAUL MOYER: The mayor... the city attorney... seven sitting members of LA's city council. What shady activity have they all benefited from? RICHARD FINE (FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR): These people were guilty of accepting what is known as laundered money. BOB STERN (POLITICAL SCIENTIST): Money laundering is the most serious violation of the campaign finance law. JAY HANDEL (BUSINESSMAN/POLITICAL CONSULTANT): It just makes all of the politics dirty. PAUL MOYER: According to city records... these high-profile politicos have all received illegal, laundered campaign donations in recent years. They all say they didn't know the money was illegal when they got it, but only one has given any of it up now that the truth is out, even though, under law, their obligations seem clear. RICHARD FINE: The obligation on the politician is absolute. In other words, As soon as he/she finds out that he/she has received an illegal contribution they must give it back. Ex-Federal prosecutor Richard Fine, political scientist Bob Stern, businessman and political consultant Jay Handel... all concerned citizens with experience in campaign financing. All say they're fed up with illegal campaign financing in this city and the city's failure to do much about it. JAY HANDEL: The city has for years known about these violations and it slipped through their hands very happily PAUL MOYER: This lack of enforcement, say the critics, allows unscrupulous donors, many of them real estate developers, to corrupt the political process. JAY HANDEL: You've got developers continuing to pad the coffers of campaigns to ensure their people get in. PAUL MOYER: The dirty dollar signs are daunting. Since 2000, based on city ethics files, over $180,000 in laundered money has been dolled out to winning and losing political candidates in LA, from ex-Mayor Hahn to Mayor Villaraigosa. RICHARD FINE: The system is corrupt. PAUL MOYER: Under state and city law each of us is limited in the amount of money we can give a local candidate, and each candidate can receive public money from the city treasury to match part of our donations. According to Bob Stern, who helped write the state ethics law... BOB STERN: The contribution limit is designed to basically stop the corruption or the appearance of corruption of large campaign contributions. PAUL MOYER: But, say critics, some donors are getting around the limits by funneling campaign funds through other people, through cutouts. This so-called laundered money -- especially when matched with public funds -- can give a recipient-candidate a head-start in campaign fund-raising and can discourage other potential candidates from running. JAY HANDEL: It dissuades other people from wanting to fight that fight. PAUL MOYER: City and state law makes laundered contributions illegal, and authorities have cracked down, most notably in 2004 when the LA county District attorney got 14 individuals associated with Casden Properties Inc. to plead no contest to laundering campaign funds. The City Ethics Commission fined them and went after other dirty donors... collecting more than $1,200,000 in fines. It's a record the Commission's executive officer, Lee Ann Pelham, is proud of. LEE ANN PELHAM: The commission very aggressively pursues those individuals who are engaged in the deceptive practice of political money laundering. PAUL MOYER: Commission case files list politicians who?ve received laundered donations. Among current LA office holders, Mayor Villaraigoa has collected $4,000 in such funds since 2000, Rocky Delgadillo -- $12,000; and City Council members Cardenas, Weiss, Greuel, Parks, Labonge, Smith and Janice Hahn -- various amounts. All told, these politicians received more than $54,000 in laundered campaign financing, plus various matching funds. But only one of them has turned any of the laundered money over to the state or city as the law envisions, and not once has law enforcement punished any recipient politician. LEE ANN PELHAM: We have not had evidence that a recipient of laundered funds knew that they were taking laundered funds or had been engaged in laundered funds. PAUL MOYER: As Pelham sees it, if you don't know at the time of the donation that it's laundered money, you don't have to surrender it... even if you find out later. What's more, she says, her investigations usually take so long that politicians have closed their campaign coffers by the time settlements are reached. LEE ANN PELHAM: It's two, three four years after their campaign, they have no funding left, what does the statute require? PAUL MOYER: Critics say the Ethics Commission is simply giving a pass to the politicians it answers to. JAY HANDEL: The Ethics Commission is appointed by the City Council people, approved by the City Council people and basically at that point you've got the fox watching the henhouse. PAUL MOYER: City and state laws do require politicians to give up laundered funds once they learn about them, even if they're not prosecuted. In 2003 Xavier Baccera, now a US congressman, did the right thing by voluntarily giving up $10,000 in laundered donations he'd received as an LA Mayoral candidate. XAVIER BACCERA: Anything that would have been associated with those contributions was returned. PAUL MOYER: In 2005, the state's Fair Political Practices Commission persuaded Kathleen Connell to voluntarily give up $22,000 -- a fraction of the $60,000 she'd collected in laundered funds when running for LA Mayor in 2001. Critics say the commission should have asked for pay-backs from other politicians. RICHARD FINE: Why did they just go after Connell and avoid all the other people? PAUL MOYER: Recently, Mayor Villaraigosa, who received laundered money in two previous campaigns, has moved to clear his own record. On August 24, three days after we contacted his lawyer about this story, his lawyer voluntarily sent the City Ethics Commission a check for $2,000 to cover what the Commission says is only half of the laundered contributions. Commission official Le Ann Pelham told us she has no doubt the belated pay-out was prompted by our investigation. LEE ANN PELHAM: Nobody wants a bad headline that suggests they violated the law. PAUL MOYER: Though City Ethics Commission has spared recipients of laundered funds, the state's watchdog agency tells us in a written statement that it is "reviewing older unresolved cases and the issue (of pursuing recipient-politicians)... is still on our radar." And which current office holders are possible targets? Legal records and press coverage of recent money laundering cases have repeatedly mentioned these politicians by name -- giving them all fair warning that dirty money flowed into their campaigns. What's more, say critics, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Councilman Jack Weiss are experienced prosecutors who should be particularly sensitive to the letter and spirit of the law. JAY HANDEL: Jack Weiss is a former federal prosecutor. He gets it. Rocky is our top cop in the city. RICHARD FINE: He is actually responsible for enforcing the law on the civil side against all the politicians, including himself. PAUL MOYER: Neither Delgadillo nor any City politician we contacted was willing to be interviewed. Those who offered off-camera statements pleaded innocence and ignorance. In a typical response, a spokesman for Weiss stated: "The wrongful nature of these contributions was hidden from him and the Ethics Commission never notified him of any requirements." Delgadillo echoed this theme through a spokesman, saying: "The City attorney and other elected officials who received money from Mr. Casden's associates had no knowledge of illegal money laundering when they received these contributions..." Delgadillo says he "will work cooperatively with (the state's Fair Political Practices Commission) if they decide to revisit this issue." But he and his fellow recipients on the City Council gave no indication they'll relinquish laundered funds voluntarily. PAUL MOYER TO RICHARD FINE: Is there an avenue that these politicians should take if they suspect they received laundered money? RICHARD FINE: They should go to the City Ethics Commission and inquire. PAUL MOYER: Why not do that, take the first step? RICHARD FINE: It comes down to the bottom line, that the money could be coming out of their own pocket. PAUL MOYER: What are the ramifications to our political system in this city? RICHARD FINE: Unless the politicians themselves decide to give the money back. This is the same thing as stuffing a ballot box. If we don't have clean elections it's not worth having a democracy. TAG: Critics say one way to clean up the electoral process is to have politicians, who are up for re-election, pay off any past laundered funds by dipping into their current campaign coffers. Check our website for comments on this story from city office holders. More News From knbc.com: Season's First Rain Knocks Out Power, Slows Traffic

The Ten Worst U.S. Prosecutors Named: Texas Leads List With Four HOUSTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United States Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, was selected as the worst prosecutor out of 10 in the nation in 2007 for his involvement in the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys and the politicization of the Justice Department. At a close second, Texas ex-prosecutor Terry D. McEachern, who is best known for seeking unlawful cocaine possession charges against the African-American community of Tulia, Texas, and withholding exculpatory evidence. Next selected, former North Carolina D.A. Michael Nifong, for the widely-publicized debacle in the rape prosecution of Duke Lacrosse players causing his disbarment for having engaged in dishonesty, fraud, and withholding exculpatory information. While a prosecutor's job is to seek justice, there have been numerous instances in U.S. history where federal and state prosecutors have engaged in unethical conduct simply to secure a conviction where otherwise not possible if they had played "by the rules." The "Ten Worst Prosecutors," list carefully researched and produced by the Bennett Law Firm (BLF) in Houston, Texas, features a handful of recent occurrences where federal and state prosecutors did not play "by the rules" with respect to evidence in criminal trials and ruined the lives of innocent people to further their own professional careers. The BLF and the "Bad Prosecutor Blog" website (visit: http://bennettlawfirm.typepad.com/badprosecutors) chose to recognize the ten worst prosecutors in the United States in 2007 to bring about an open discussion of prevalent prosecutorial misconduct, and most importantly, to stress the importance of holding bad prosecutors accountable for their unlawful indiscretions. For over thirty years, the BLF has been involved in criminal, civil, and administrative investigation. BLF Attorney Robert S. "Bob" Bennett, a former federal prosecutor, has been qualified as an expert on prosecutorial abuse and prosecutorial recusal. Mr. Bennett has also published numerous articles and has given countless speeches on these topics. Prosecutorial misconduct ranges from hiding, destroying, or tampering with evidence, case files or court records; failing to disclose exculpatory evidence; using false or misleading evidence during trial; to improper behavior during grand jury proceedings. The BLF's "Ten Worst" list exposes the harsh reality that bad prosecutors are not always disciplined for such misconduct and, in most cases, continue practicing law without missing a beat. The BLF and the website strongly believe that the list will heighten public awareness and, in turn, help curb unjust prosecutions and deter future prosecutorial misconduct. Other bad prosecutors selected for the BLF "Ten Worst" list include the likes of Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, Jr., Massachusetts Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Auerhahn, Georgia Prosecutor David McDade, Oklahoma D.A. Bill Peterson, L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, and Texas licensed attorneys: Charles Sebesta and Randall W. Reynolds. Foti's persistence in attempting to prosecute a doctor and two nurses after hurricane Katrina and making extrajudicial statements surrounding their guilt have secured him a spot on the BLF's "Ten Worst" list. Auerhahn's blatant disregard for the constitutional rights of an innocent man which resulted in a 22-year sentence and 13 years behind bars before it was ever discovered has earned him a listing as well. McDade was selected for overzealously prosecuting a 17-year-old over oral sex with a consenting 15-year-old girl under an archaic loophole in Georgia law (which has now been abolished) and for distributing a video of the sexual encounter in violation of federal child pornography laws. Texas prosecutor, Charles Sebesta, makes an appearance on the list for presenting false, misleading evidence and not disclosing an exculpatory confession during the murder prosecution of Anthony Graves which resulted in his conviction and being sent to death row for capital murder in 1994. Ward County D.A., Randall W. Reynolds, was selected for dragging his feet in response to reliable allegations of sexual abuse of inmates at the West Texas State School in Pyote, Texas, and delaying the prosecution of two accused prison guards for more than 2 years. Also selected was prosecutor Bill Peterson for inspiring John Grisham to write a novel about his vigorous yet erroneous prosecution and conviction of Ron Williamson for capital murder in 1988 on weak physical evidence and jailhouse informants. Last, but certainly not least, the list includes the Harvard-educated L.A. City Attorney, Rocky Delgadillo, who is best known for prosecuting famed Paris Hilton and publicly admitting that he misused public resources by negligently allowing his accident-prone wife to use a city vehicle for personal errands resulting in $1,200 of damage and then letting taxpayers foot the bill, all the while complaining about a two-tiered judicial system that gives "special treatment" to the privileged. SOURCE The Bennett Law Firm

Please, Rocky, Dont Go L.A. Sniper: Its OK not to love him, but the flawed city attorney plays an important role ~ By ALAN MITTELSTAEDT ~ Photo by Ted Soqui ~ Stop Frowning,two years will fly by like a one-night fling ~ ets observe a moment of silence to mark the end of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillos political career. Once he finishes his current term in office, hes over. Term limits keep him from running again. No way voters will promote this guy to the District Attorneys Office. Taxpayers are still too hot about getting stuck with a $1,222 bill for a fender bender involving his city-issued SUV while his wife was at the wheel and he was partying it up at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. This self-promoting creep isnt going anywhere but down when he leaves his eighth-floor office. But, consider the big picture. Until he checks out for the final time, we need Rocky the Reject to stick around to balance the mayors push for control at City Hall. A crucial detail is being overlooked in the sanctimonious chatter coming from all quarters of the city, from the L.A. Times editorial pages to blogger Amy Alkon to the South Robertson Neighborhood Council, urging Rocky to resign. Mark your calendars Rocky will be out of office in 22 months on June 30, 2009. Its not that far off. If it seems too long to wait, consider what would most likely occur if Rocky were to suffer a rare pang of conscience this morning and walk out of City Hall and never return. The City Council could order up an election and place his job on the same ballot as the presidential primary down the line in February 2008. Fat chance. Or, it could call a special election at a cost estimated by the City Clerks Office at $6 million-to-$7 million. Even less likely. By the way, doesnt it seem odd that taxpayers so incensed by a $1,222 repair bill would want to foot a multi-million-dollar tab to oust the b*****d? If voters were so upset about the matter, wouldnt they be lining up to sign recall petitions? This week, recall organizer Andrew Ahlering reported one small donation of less than $100 and he knows his chances of evicting Rocky the Reject are slim. More likely, of course, if Rocky resigned or even if he were somehow miraculously recalled, there will be no special election. Instead, Antonio the Conniver will circumvent the democratic process and pressure his minions on the City Council to appoint one of his most loyal members, Jack Weiss, to fill out the rest of Rockys term. Then Jack the Mayors Slave could run as an incumbent for a full, four-year term in March 2009, a race that he already intends to run. The mayors office had no response to this scenario. As of right now, it doesnt seem likely that Rocky the Reject is going anywhere anytime soon. His spokesman, Nick Velasquez, lauded Rockys accomplishments in office, on gangs and cleaning up the city, and said he intends to stay where he is. And, face it, the city of Los Angeles is probably better off having Rocky stand in the way of the mayors dreams of ruling city government. We need these two rivals keeping one anothers lust for power in check. Just look at the agony on their faces as they worked side-by-side at a gang raid two weeks ago in Wilmington. The mayor would love for Rocky the Reject to step aside so that he could call all of the shots and set the agenda for the City Attorneys Office. The mayor so wants his man in that office that its even possible that Antonio the Connivers handlers played a role in Rockys downfall, helping to orchestrate the series of negative stories about the SUV and the city attorneys staff handling babysitting and other chores for Rocky. The king of opposition research Ace Smith not only oversaw the mayors last campaign and remains a trusted advisor, but he managed Jerry Browns campaign for attorney general in 2006 against Rocky the Rejected. Its well within the realm of possibility that Ace the Dirt Flinger knew all about Rockys weaknesses and was waiting for just the right moment to leak them to the press. In June, as things heated up over the mayors dissolving marriage and rumors of an affair, perhaps the time arrived. Or not. Ace refuses to answer questions on the matter. In an e-mail this week, he said: What you are doing is unethical printing speculation based on nothing. Lets just hope Rocky doesnt go the redemption route and bloody himself again on the campaign trail.

Request for Civil and Criminal Grand Jury Investigations of Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadil PDF Print E-mail Written by Administrator Friday, 29 June 2007 June 29, 2007 Hon. Stephen L. Cooley County of Los Angeles District Attorney 210 W Temple Street #18000 Los Angeles, California 90012 Clerk of the Grand Jury Criminal and Civil County of Los Angeles 210 W Temple Street, Room 11-506 Los Angeles, California 90012 Request for Civil and Criminal Grand Jury Investigations of Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo I am writing to express grave concern and to ask that you undertake investigation of the conduct of Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Mr. Delgadillo is an elected official in the City of Los Angeles and therefore investigation of his conduct by the Grand Juries of the County of Los Angeles is proper if it is alleged that he has engaged in civil or criminal misconduct while in office. It has been reported that Mr. Delgadillo has acknowledged that he used city resources to repair about $1,200 in damages his wife made to a city-owned GMC Yukon. Mr. Delgadillo has since repaid the City of Los Angeles this sum. His repayment is indicative of acknowledgement of improper conduct. This misappropriation of city resources should be considered theft and prosecuted accordingly. Additionally, as the City of Los Angeles prosecutor, Mr. Delgadillo has been in a conflict of interest for not filing suit to against his wife Michelle Delgadillo for not maintaining a City of Los Angeles business license. Further, Mrs. Delgadillo has consulted for firms that have profited from their work with the City of Los Angeles. It has also been widely reported that City Attorney Delgadillo has misused his city-issued vehicle and has had members of his staff conduct personal errands on his behalf, and baby-sit his children. These allegations if true amount to improper personal enrichment of a public official. Further, if true, these allegations also constitute a misappropriation of City of Los Angeles resources. This misappropriation of funds should be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or felony according to the dollar amount misappropriated. It is particularly troubling that all of these actions have been by a man charged with prosecuting crime in the City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles County can not continue to have a two tiered system of justice. Mr. Delagadillo should be brought to answer for his conduct. Mr. District Attorney, please form a Criminal Grand Jury to investigate and indict Mr. Delagadillo. Civil Grand Jury, please launch a full scale investigation of the Los Angeles City Attorneys office so that the public can know the length and depth of the corruption in this public agency. Very truly yours, Andrew J. Ahlering Chair, Committee to Recall Rocky Delgadillo CC:AntonioVillaraigosa Eric Garcetti Mayor, City of Los Angeles President, Los Angeles City Council 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 303 200 N. Spring Street, Rm 470 Los Angeles, California 90012 Los Angeles, California 90012 Hon. Edmund G. Brown Jr. Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger Attorney General State of California 300 S. Spring Street 300 S. Spring Street Los Angeles, California 90013 Los Angeles, California 90013 State Bar of California Office of the Chief Trial Counsel, Intake Unit 1149 S. Hill Street Los Angeles, CA 90015

Excerpts from Los Angeles Times Delgadillo receives notice of recall bid Prosecutor has 14 days to respond. He vows to continue fighting for public safety. By Matt Lait, Times Staff Writer July 11, 2007 Related Stories - City Attorney under fire: Full coverage Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, who has come under fire for using city resources for personal reasons, was served with a recall notice Tuesday. Delgadillo has 14 days in which to respond to the papers, which were delivered to his office by Andrew Ahlering, a former county employee who is leading the effort. After Delgadillo files a response and the city clerk certifies the petition, Ahlering will have 120 days to collect about 213,000 signatures from registered city voters before a recall election can be called. In recent weeks, Delgadillo has been criticized for allowing his wife to drive his city-owned vehicle for personal errands. On one trip, she damaged the rear of the SUV, which Delgadillo initially had repaired at taxpayers' expense. After the matter became public, he reimbursed the city for the repairs. Delgadillo has also acknowledged enlisting staff members to baby-sit his children and perform personal chores for him. The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is investigating the allegations, initially raised in a series of Times reports. But the State Bar of California has closed its inquiry into a separate ethics complaint made against the city attorney by a Whittier lawyer. Attorney Allen Wilkinson said bar officials noted, however, that they routinely monitor media accounts of alleged misconduct by lawyers and take action when appropriate. "I'm focusing on the work the people of this city elected, and reelected, me to do," Delgadillo said in a statement regarding to the recall notice. "I'm fighting gangs, slumlords, polluters and unscrupulous hospitals who dump their indigent patients. I am going to continue my fight to keep our neighborhoods and schools safe and secure."

Accordingly with the statement of Mr. Allen Wilkinson, Esq. " He is ripping off every L.A. city Taxpayer. You are the clients, yes". Allen Wilkinson said.