Three Cudahy city officials face federal bribery charges

The headline and post have been corrected. Please see note below.

Three Cudahy city officials -- the mayor, a city councilman and a former acting city manager -- have been charged with federal bribery, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The three were charged with soliciting and accepting $17,000 in bribes from someone who wanted to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Cudahy, Assistant U.S Atty. Joseph Akrotirianakis said.

On Friday morning, federal agents descended on Cudahy, in southeast Los Angeles County, to arrest Mayor David Silva, Councilman Osvaldo Conde and longtime city employee Angel Perales, the last of whom was fired this week. Perales was a code enforcement officer who also recently served as the acting city manager.

It was unclear whether the men were in custody. FBI agents have surrounded a business owned by Conde. Authorities believe he may be inside the store because his car is parked outside but have been unable to make contact with him. They are preparing to enter the business.

Earlier this week, FBI agents served a federal grand jury subpoena at City Hall, demanding access to all documents related to the 2007 and 2009 city council elections, including ballots. Akrotirianakis declined comment on that subpoena.

Cudahy, a city of 24,000 that neighbors Bell, is almost entirely Latino, poor and largely uneducated.

[For the Record, 12:50 p.m.: This post and headline incorrectly stated that the city officials had been indicted by a grand jury. They were not indicted, but they do face federal charges.]

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Photo: FBI agents surround a business owned by Cudahy Councilman Osvaldo Conde early Friday morning. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times