Prosecutors seek 6-year prison term for Ridley-Thomas: ‘This was a shakedown’

Mark Ridley-Thomas, center, was convicted in March of federal corruption charges. Prosecutors asked a federal judge Monday to sentence veteran Los Angeles politician Mark Ridley-Thomas to six years in federal prison, citing the menace of public corruption in a democracy and the lawmaker’s exploitation of the power and privileges of his office. “Through his own corrupt actions, abuse of his powerful elected office, failure to accept responsibility, and efforts to undermine the public’s faith in this judicial process, defendant’s overall conduct strongly supports a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment.” Late Monday, defense attorneys filed their own sentencing papers, asking the judge for a range of 21 to 27 months, then seeking a downward variance that features no time in prison and, instead, a period of probation with home confinement, community service and a monetary penalty. “Whatever the Court decides, Los Angeles has lost one of its most effective public servants ever; Dr. Ridley-Thomas will never hold office again,” his lawyers wrote. Seemingly anticipating this argument, prosecutors criticized Ridley-Thomas as leaning “into a flattering narrative that he always acted in ‘good faith,’ never for himself or his son, and consistently for the good of the community — the community he defrauded.” Prosecutors also lambasted Ridley-Thomas for allowing a “public narrative” in which “community groups and media personalities with ties to encourage the public to discount the verdict.” “Defendant is not a victim,” prosecutors wrote.