Rizzo tries again to make $2-million bail; D.A. says the money is tainted

Former Bell City Administrator Robert Rizzo will make a second attempt to make bail this week, but his effort is facing renewed opposition from prosecutors who say that some of the assets he's offering are tainted.

Rizzo lists four properties that he says he will use as collateral to post his $2-million bond. The  properties, located in Torrance and Los Angeles, are owned by a friend of Rizzo's wife and his     mother-in-law, Su Lin Chen Chiang.

In the court papers, Rizzo's attorney, James Spertus, cited an insurance analysis that values the properties at a combined amount of $2.3 million. However, prosecutors question whether the estimates are accurate, arguing that there is insufficient documentation concerning their current market value.

Prosecutors say they have also uncovered evidence that Rizzo's mother-in-law was involved in a separate real estate deal with former Bell Deputy City Administrator Angela Spaccia. Like Rizzo, Spaccia was arrested in a broad public-corruption case.

Prosecutors said a promissory note found during a search of Rizzo's property detailed Spaccia's agreement to pay Chiang 7.25% interest on a $200,000 note.

Spaccia had no means to make those payments other than public funds that she and Rizzo are accused of illegally disbursing to themselves, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Max Huntsman. Rizzo, Spaccia and six other current and former Bell city leaders were arrested last month and are facing charges that they illegally raided the city's treasury to award themselves exorbitant salaries and pensions.

Spaccia's promissory note to Chiang shows that "this is a tangled web of city money and personal finances,'' Huntsman said.

The seized documents also reveal an attempt by Spaccia and Chiang to commit tax evasion, with Spaccia promising not to report the interest income to the IRS, the prosecutor said.

"Mr. Rizzo has tainted his mother-in-law as a source of bail,'' Huntsman said.

The bail hearing in Rizzo's case is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. His first application was rejected.

-- Catherine Saillant and Richard Winton

 

 

 

Comments

[All Hallows Eve]

Where IS TweedleDee when he's needed most!

[Gabriel]

Let him rot...

[Duped Tax Payer]

Any election ploy by the DA. This is how they get Latino votes.

[Ruby Jackson]

Would his MIL be any relation to John Chiang, the State Controller?

[djack80]

This guy is pure evil. He had no problem ripping off the citizens and taxpayers of CA. I hope he is the lightning rod to go after all the other corrupt city managers in this cash strapped state

[pugtv]

Wow. Sucks to be Rizzo ... and anyone else remotely connected to him. So how did the LA Times get on this story? Someone must have ratted out the group. This will make for a fascinating TV documentary.

[312capri]

Let him become accustom to his surroundings, hopefully he's going to be there a very long time.

[Edge]

They should keep Ratzo Rizzo and as far as I'm concerned, they can throw away the key.

[Bob Henning]

Every Single Solitary Dime this Scum Bag has come into contact with during his Corrupt, Amoral, Greedy and Thankfully Shortlived Career in Bell is Tainted. He is a Slug that shouldn`t see the Light of day for Twenty Years.If they keep digging they will find out that Rizzo the Slug is far worse than they thought.

[Tama Raw1]

Where can this greedy man Rizzo get clean money? It seems that all his money came from polluted source. It is risky to let him out of jail. If he has the chance, he will disappear for good. He knows he's guilty and can't escape long term punishment so he will surely flee. It's good for his health to stay in jail too.

[Fight Corruption]

Spaccia is obviously a much bigger player in this scam. The DA has to look into what she promised the Maywood council in return for disbanding the PD and letting go of all the city employees. Bell would have made close to 5 million a year if they took over Maywood and Maywood would have become a charter city enabling to raise the council's salaries to 100k a year. The rumor is Mayor Ana Rizo already resigned from her post because she is afraid that she will be arrested next. To bad councilman Felipe Aguirre is to stupid to see what is coming.

Aguirre told a reporter last week that the PD was disbanded because Maywood lost its insurance because of all the lawsuits that amounted to 19 mil.

First of all it was nowhere near 19 mil. Second, the insurance paid the settlements not Maywood. Third the insurance was going to keep insuring Maywood if Maywood would simply hire a permanent city manager and sign the Cudahy contract for police services.

Maywood still has not hired a permanent city manager and they refused to sign the Cudahy contract.

More lies from Felipe Aguirre who is a cancer in Maywood that needs to be cut out.

[Mikey]

Somthing tells me Rizzo is going to have marital problems.

[Mike White]

Can't wait for this episode of American Greed.

[Roger Jones]

I never seen so many stupid people in one place in all my life. Are you telling me that all of the people in Bell are that stupid. And the news media has become just cheer-learders; all of them are sitting in the Amen corner. I thought how the news media allowed Bush and republican people get this country in such mess; make me wonder why the news people wasted so much time and money going to school to be train to be news people and do not take any pride in their work.

How did this go on so long without the district supervisor did not know this?

There are times I do not want to read the news because each time I want to vomit because some else top what I have read in before in the newspaper.

Roger Jones

[bill]

The LA. Time gets a big Kudo's for brining all this to light!!! Now if they start on the REPUBLICAN connection to selling all of our manufacturing jobs overseas, we could all afford to start buying paper newspapers again!!!

[momo]

--"Spaccia promising not to report the interest income to the IRS"

who's getting the interest income? Should read Chiang is not reporting the interest income because she is loaning out money to Spaccia and committing tax evasion. 7.25% of 200,000 is $14,000+ spreaded over the loan period.

[momo]

Don't let him. Only reason he wants out is he will flee with hidden money. What are we going to say to citizens of Bell when he successfully flees? Okay, make him a leg bracelet and keep the bail money (2 mil).

[Raymond]

I say... NO BAIL for ANY of them !!!! Let them rot in jail... put them in the general population and let them feel how it's like to sit behind bars in a 10'x10' cell.... NO MERCY !!!!..... damn crooks !!!!!!!

[Joe Zuazua]

I really hope he roots in jail, and I also hope he can read this, he and the rest of thieves, hey let's name Rizzo Alibaba and, the rest the seven thieves, they nothing else but, I also hope that every city in Los Angeles county in thoroughly investigated, like Glendale,California, they are also a bunch of thieves

[Latino Tax Payer]

They should check with Bell's next door neighbor Huntington Park and also find
corrupted city and commerce oficials....

[Leonel A Umana]

Why is Rizzo even allow bail? Who knows how much money he has tuck away or pilfer from the city of Bell?

[Concerned Citizen]

Too bad, so sad. We reap what we sow Mr. Rizzo.

[greenfeld]

this not only in bell other city and state thje same , why just single out bell what about fedral govermnt waste or other state ,

or awarding law suit

[Dub-ya]

"Mr. Rizzo has tainted his mother-in-law as a source of bail,'' Huntsman said.

Using your mother-in-law's taint to raise bail just ain't right.

[huxley g]

let him rot...this man is like a pig who never had any contentment and wants to pay bail...for what???...hungry again???...shame on you...they are right, sucks to be rizzo's!!!huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu...