Bell 8: Two-year prison deals offered to former and current council members in corruption case

Six current and former council members in Bell have been offered two-year prison sentences in exchange for pleading guilty and paying back all the money they are alleged to have misappropriated from the city treasury, an attorney for one of the former councilmen said.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office confirmed Monday that plea deals were extended but declined to provide specifics.

The two-year prison deals were not extended to the city’s former administrators, Robert Rizzo and Angela Spaccia.

One of the former council members, Luis Artiga, rejected the offer, said George G. Mgdesyan, his attorney.

Mgdesyan said identical offers were also extended to Mayor Oscar Hernandez, council members Teresa Jacobo, George Mirabal and former councilmen George Cole and Victor Bello. Cole’s attorney, however, said he knew nothing about a plea deal.

Disclosures of the plea offers came before the beginning of a preliminary hearing in which a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to order the former and current city leaders to stand trial for public corruption.

The hearing was scheduled to get underway at 1:30 p.m. but was delayed.

There are to be three separate hearings, one after the other, said Jennifer Lentz Snyder, head deputy of the district attorney's public integrity division.

The charges were filed after a series of articles by The Times detailing the high salaries of Bell city officials and the activities of Rizzo, the city's longtime chief administrative officer.

RELATED:

'Bell 8' corruption hearings to start at 1:30 p.m.

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Bell could start running out of cash in May as deficit grows

-- Jeff Gottlieb

Photo: Seven of the the eight city officials from the city of Bell and their attorneys face the judge in LA. County Superior Court on Monday. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[elma cano]

They’re getting off easy, but I’ll take it. 2yrs in the big house and paying every cent back works just fine!

[Brown & Proud]

They still think that they have done nothing wrong. I hope that at the end they throw the book at them and make them do hard time. They thought they were un-stoppable.

[Logic and Reason]

If they don't take the plea and the County has to prosecute (and absorb that cost also), they need to be in jail for at least a decade.

[Kimberly]

Two years isn't long enough. They should pay back all the money and spend a minimum of ten years in jail. Because once they're out they'll try to screw over more people.

[skucount]

Without a trial the real facts and interconnections with other corrupt pols from adjoining cities won't come out.

[August]

And Homeless Veterans are given LIFETIME LIFE-LIMITING CRIMINAL RECORDS for the crime of sleeping outside because THEY ARE HOMELESS!

[Moe]

Shame on you elected and trusted City of Bell officials for your crimes, and shame on you LA County District Attorney for offering such a pitiful pitiful deal to these criminals. You did nothing more than to slap the face of every citizen of the City of Bell. You're all corrupt and just as guilty as the criminals themselves. I am so ashamed of the LA County District Attorney and the justice system. Shame! Shame!

[Bryan Howland]

no deals, let the trial go forward to show the system works, or perhaps doesn't

[diana]

Thanks all???? What a bunch of crap! Probably they will be serving their time at a "Disney Camp" !!!

[Jeff]

They should be put in prison for 5 years and have to repay all the money AND never be allowed to work in government again.

[englishsunset]

This is Bullshat...America: Commit crimes get very little time, if any then enjoy the fruits of your crimes.

[owhatever]

and no pensions I hope.

[ALbert R]

Are you kidding me? 2 Years? Regular citizens gets way more for stealing a third of what was doled out in Bell. They all thought they could get away with this! But atleast the people of Bell will get their money back.

I hope they have thee most unpleasant 2 years possible!

[WillIam]

And nothing happens to the former Bell Chief of Police? Sounds like Prosecutor bias.

that would explain this absurdly lenient offer. there are people in prison longer than that who've stole way less in terms of $ value.

[Bob]

So, two years...they'll get off in one. As for the money...do they still have it? Maybe most of it has been spent. Maybe that's why some have rejected the offer.

[phoenixandrew]

As long as Robert Rizzo and Angela Spaccia are not included in the plea deals, I have no problem with it, as long as the rest of them agree to pay back the monies they stole from the City.

[Insp Dell]

Wow 2 years only for what they did? Some special treatment.
Imagine an ordinary people (non-union) who scams the city taking millions from taxpayers hard-earned money... let see how many years would this person going to get!
Wow! Amazing. No wonder there will be more people who are going to milk our hard-earned tax money because of the low penalty and how they can get away with most of the issues that common people cannot.

Follow up: Bell II, Bell III, Bell IV, Bell V, .... Bell VXVIII....

Need to reform UNION CONTRACTS!!!

[Daniel]

How embarrassing is America's justice system. A deal? Send them to trial, prove they are guilty (how can't they be), sentence them to a full 30 and have them pay back. A clear message to public servants.

[Chris D]

Hell No.. This people should get the MAX penalty allowed by law, only because of the fact that they were suppose to be trusted elected officials... HangEm High
if you agree THUMBS UP... Lets get some law back in this state.

[peter]

I just got out of jail.
Misappropriation? Never heard of the word. Is that a nice way of saying taking money the wrong way and doing what you want to do with it? Why, that sounds like stealing to me. I never in my entire life have ever heard of a thief offered a deal with the title misappropriation. And I've pulled about 10 years in jail already. Wow. Sounds like the D.A. is an idiot or there is special treatment occurring here. And two (2) years only? And can pay the money back!? Wow. These must be related to some new law or something. Because in jail I've met people who have taken plea bargains of 15 years for a total of three robberies which resulted in 3 cell phones taken. Misappropriated phones, right? How many times did these crooks TAKE money? Is the money worth more than 3 cell phones?

[Tony ( aka Brains)]

This is the 'best' these bozo's are going to GET and some 'refused' it ? Unbelievable !! They better PRAY that I'm NOT on the jury for their case as I would throw the book at them. Any and ALL assets these people have should be 'seized' and then sold to 'repay' the city these thieves stole !!

[Bad Habit]

Do they have to pay back the money they stole as well?

If not, I, for one, would happily go to jail for two years if I got to keep millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains.

Who says crime doesn't pay. If you're a politician, it certainly does.

[take the deal]

2-years, that's it! They'll be out in three months... Even if they agree to pay back the money, good luck collecting.

The State of California would love to sweep this whole mess under the rug. They know the tentacles of this type of corruption runs throughout the state, and all the way to Washington DC.

[whiteyward]

Ouch, the sound of there hand getting slapped was just horrible. Two years means out in months. Steal a loaf of bread in that town and you would get 10 years...l

[payforward]

Until we restore civics education to our High Schools and Liberal Arts and Science programs to our Colleges ad Universities, many politicians will continue to be market-driven crooks, like these.