By Robert Garrova and Frank Stoltze for LAist
Originally published Oct. 4, 2024
Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan was sentenced to 12 years in prison Friday for his role in a widespread City Hall corruption scheme.
Chan, 68 of Monterey Park, was convicted earlier this year of bribery, racketeering, fraud and lying to FBI investigators.
How we got here
Federal prosecutors said Chan accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribe money and facilitated payoffs from real estate developers to former City Councilman Jose Huizar between 2013 and 2018.
During that time, Chan worked first as head of the city’s Building and Safety Department and then as deputy mayor for economic development under former Mayor Eric Garcetti. Huizar chaired the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which oversaw all commercial and residential development projects in the city.
Chan and Huizar shook down Chinese developers who needed help getting their real estate projects through the city’s approval process. Chan accepted more than $750,000 in bribe money for himself and facilitated over $1 million in bribes from property developers to Huizar, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In a letter to the judge, the L.A. City Attorney’s Office said Chan used his position to manage a “pay-to-play criminal enterprise,” lining his own pockets in the process.
The sentencing
In addition to prison time, U.S. District Judge John Walter ordered Chan to pay more than $752,000 in restitution to the city.
In January, Huizar, 56 of Boyle Heights, was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He was ordered to pay restitution to the city and the IRS.
Go deeper: Former LA Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan convicted of bribery
This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2024 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.
