L.A.’s ex-deputy mayor headed to prison: ‘Corruption at any level will not be tolerated’

Former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan walks to the United States Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on March 26 for his trial on corruption charges. A federal judge on Friday sentenced former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan to 12 years in prison for his role in a sprawling City Hall corruption case that also brought down a former council member. U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter handed down the sentence in a courtroom packed with Chan’s supporters, stating that “corruption at any level will not be tolerated.” A jury in March found Chan guilty on a dozen counts — including racketeering conspiracy, bribery, honest services fraud and giving false statements to investigators — in a case focused on financial benefits provided by real estate developers with projects in former Councilmember Jose Huizar’s district. Chan’s sentence, Estrada added, “sends a message to the public and City Hall alike that our government should not be for sale and those that undermine our democracy through pay-to-play schemes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” On Friday morning, Chan’s attorney, Michael Freedman, argued that his client didn’t deserve a sentence “anywhere close” to that of Huizar, who was sentenced in January to 13 years on racketeering and tax evasion charges. Chan was the last defendant charged in the City Hall pay-to-play investigation — dubbed “Casino Loyale” by the federal government due to Huizar’s frequent Las Vegas trips — to go on trial.