OAN’s Roy Francis
12:20 PM – Thursday, June 15, 2023
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged L.A. Councilman Curren Price with embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest.
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D.A. George Gascon said that the charges brought against Price are results of a “thorough investigation” and that the conduct of the councilman had “undermined the integrity of our government.”
“Today’s charges against Councilman Curren Price are the result of a thorough investigation into allegations of public corruption,” Gascon said. “This alleged conduct undermines the integrity of our government and erodes the public’s trust in our elected officials.”
Price has been charged with five counts of embezzlement, three counts of perjury, and two counts of conflict of interest. According to CBS News, prosecutors alleged that the councilman had “financial interest” in projects that he had voted in favor of, and had “the city pay for his now wife while he was still married to another woman.”
Price’s wife allegedly received more than $150,000 from developers before he had voted to approve their projects between 2019 and 2021, and the councilman had not listed the money that his wife had received on any disclosure forms.
Price is also accused of having the city pay almost $34,000 in medical coverage for his wife while he was still married to someone else.
After learning about the charges that he is facing, Price stepped down as the city council’s President Pro Tempore and from his committee seats, although he stated that he intends to remain on the council.
Price wrote a letter to Council President Paul Krekorian, saying that the charges are “unwarranted” and that he will defend his name against them.
“While I navigate through the judicial system to defend my name against unwarranted charges filed against me, the last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to the people’s business,” Price wrote in a letter to Council President Paul Krekorian. “I have had no greater privilege than to serve the people of Los Angeles and specifically the residents of District 9…”
On Wednesday, Krekorian filed a motion calling on the City Council to suspend Price due to the charges he is facing.
“The trial on the charges has yet to take place and a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Council must respect that presumption,” the motion reads. “However, to preserve the public trust, a Councilmember who has been charged with public corruption should not continue to exercise the powers of City office while such charges are pending.” The suspension will reportedly take days to materialize, however, calls for the resignation of Price are mounting as public trust in the L.A. city government has been eroded.
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