Todd DeStefano

Pasquale Rotella's Rave Corruption Case Sees Four Charges Dismissed

A judge today dismissed four embezzlement charges against rave promoter Pasquale Rotella. See also: How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire. A grand jury indicted Rotella, fellow dance festival organizer Reza Gerami, and ex-L.A. Coliseum events manager Todd DeStefano on corruption charges, esse ... More >>

Judge Considers Dismissing Rave Promoter's Corruption Case

A motion to dismiss corruption charges against rave promoter Pasquale Rotella is being considered this week by the judge in the case. See also: How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire. A hearing on the dismissal request took place today. The judge in the case said more time was needed to consid ... More >>

Raves: Could Shady L.A. Coliseum Emails Help Promoters' Case?

The publication of emails between L.A. Coliseum Commission members, staffers and attorneys appears to show a public body making shady moves, including possible decision-making outside the public sphere, a legal no-no, vote counting, also illicit, and even sticking up for an indicted events manager w ... More >>

How Pasquale Rotella Built His Rave Empire

The man behind EDC is not going away, felony charges be damned

Government Lawsuit Against EDC Rave Promoter a FAIL

The L.A. Coliseum Commission will regroup next week to consider its options after a local judge basically threw out its civil lawsuit against rave promoters who organized parties at the Coliseum and its sister venue, the L.A. Sports Arena. The suit named promoters Pasquale Rotella of Insomniac and ... More >>

Zev Yaroslavsky And Former Coliseum Manager Point Fingers Over '04 Super Bowl Tickets

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Pat Lynch, the convicted ex-manager of the L.A. Coliseum, are pointing the finger at each other over a pair of Super Bowl tickets that Yaroslavsky obtained for a constituent in 2004.Lynch, who was caught up in a massive corruption scandal at the Coliseum, contends that ... More >>

L.A. Coliseum Fallout Continues

When John Sandbrook took over the scandal-plagued Coliseum, he found himself in battle with a media-savvy pol.

NFL Failures, EDM Greed and Massive Corruption: The Inside Story of the L.A. Coliseum Scandal

Nedy Warren, Unsung Hero Of Coliseum Scandal, Wrote Investigative Report That Led To Corruption Charges

This week's L.A. Weekly cover story goes behind the scenes of the L.A. Coliseum scandal.The story details how Pat Lynch, the former general manager, became entangled in financial misdeeds with Tony Estrada, a Cuban-born janitorial contractor who claimed to be working for the CIA.Portions of the stor ... More >>

Sasha Rodriguez, Late Teen Whose Family Sued Rave, Sneaked Into Electric Daisy Carnival

Updated at the bottom with county leader Mark Ridley-Thomas saying the settlement between Rodriguez's family and the Coliseum should seal the deal for the end of raves at the venue. First posted at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. The 15-year-old girl whose family sued and settled with the L.A. Coliseum and the ... More >>

'The GangBang Girl #32,' Football Porn, Reportedly Shot at L.A. Coliseum

The L.A. Coliseum scandal was already hot, in the embezzlement/bribery sense. But thanks to a 2002 porn called "The GangBang Girl #32," reportedly shot under the lights of the taxpayer-owned USC stadium, it's now got a half-naked cheerleader as covergirl: According to a Los Angeles Times expose thi ... More >>

Sasha Rodriguez's Post-EDC Rave Death: Parents Settle With Promoter, L.A. Coliseum

Rewritten throughout to reflect confirmation from the family's attorney. The parents of Sasha Rodriguez, a 15-year-old girl who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending 2010's Electric Daisy Carnival rave at the L.A. Coliseum, have come to a settlement with the venue and the promoter after they ... More >>

Rave Promoters See Parts of L.A. Coliseum Lawsuit Dismissed

Are the cases against rave promoters caught up in the L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal starting to unravel? Last week we reported than an email described by the prosecution as a "smoking gun" had a questionable time stamp and arguably raised other issues with the criminal case against Insomniac Eve ... More >>

Rave Corruption Case at Coliseum Involves Questionable Email D.A. Calls 'Smoking Gun'

The case against two of the nation's biggest rave promoters, who have become entangled in the L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal, relies on emails between the party organizers and a public employee, Coliseum events manager Todd DeStefano. One of those emails, which a main prosecutor told us is a "smo ... More >>

Rave Promoters Got Low, Even No Rent at Publicly Run Coliseum as They Raked in Millions in Ticket Sales

Updated at the bottom: L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas says this just shows that it's time to do away with the Coliseum Commission. First posted at 11:54 a.m. Rave promoters at the publicly run L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena paid decreasing rents as they raked in millions in ticket revenu ... More >>

Rave Promoters in Coliseum Scandal Get Access Back to Some Frozen Cash

In the case of the rave promoters accused of bilking the L.A. Coliseum out of more than a million dollars, they get to keep a little of their own money. Some of the assets of Pasquale Rotella and Reza Gerami, rival promoters who held electronic dance music parties at the Coliseum and L.A. Sports Ar ... More >>

Rave Promoters Rotella, Gerami Face Potential of 10 Years-Plus in Jail

The rave promoters indicted as part of the L.A. Coliseum corruption scandal could see more than 10 years each behind bars if convicted, an L.A. County District Attorney's office official tells the Weekly. In fact the potential sentence for Reza Gerami of Go Ventures is 15 years, 8 months, according ... More >>

Rave Scandal at Coliseum Sees Former Manager Pat Lynch Get Off Easy Today

More details added to the bottom. When you first heard about the indictments against a pair of rave promoters and some of the L.A. Coliseum's top managers, you probably thought, Woh, this is serious. After all, words like conspiracy, embezzlement and bribery are heavy, not to mention the fact that ... More >>

Rave Promoters Reza Gerami, Pasquale Rotella Plead Not Guilty in Coliseum Corruption Case

Updated at the bottom with indictment details from the District Attorney's office. First posted at 12:22 p.m. Defendants in the corruption scandal at the L.A. Coliseum today pleaded not guilty today. Indictments, the details of which had yet to be revealed to the press, targeted rave promoters Rez ... More >>

Rave Culture Implicated, Wrongly, in Case Against L.A. Coliseum Promoters

In its prosecution of two electronic dance music promoters and four others for alleged corruption at the L.A. Coliseum, the office of Republican District Attorney Steve Cooley also nearly indicted rave culture itself. Cooley, also known for his stance against medical marijuana dispensaries, almost ... More >>

Reza Gerami, Rave Promoter, And Two Coliseum Officials Arrested in Public Venue Corruption Scandal

Updated at the bottom with rave promoter Pasquale Rotella acknowledging that authorities want to arrest him. First posted at 10:59 p.m. Two former L.A. Coliseum officials and a rave promoter were arrested as part of a corruption scandal that has rocked the publicly run venue. Former Coliseum gener ... More >>

Rave Promoters Paid Millions to L.A. Coliseum Union Workers Under the Table and in Cash, Sources Say

Timothy NorrisYoung faces at the 2009 Electric Daisy Carnival.​More than $2.5 million in cash was paid to union hands who worked concerts, mostly controversial raves, at the publicly run L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena, according to sources and documents obtained by the Weekly. On Tuesday lawy ... More >>

Top 5 Douches of 2011, L.A.-Style: Kobe Bryant Breaks The Color Barrier

rorjnd.com​This is Los Angeles, douche capital of the world. When you talk douche here, you have a lot to talk about. So it wasn't easy chosing our Top 5 douches of the year. L.A. can go douche-for-douche with just about any global metropolis -- even New Jersey. Perhaps the only place on ear ... More >>

Rave Promoters Gave $40,000 to City Leader Bernard Parks' 4th of July Event: Money Magically Came Off Their L.A. Coliseum Bills

Cesar SebastianRavers at the L.A. Sports Arena.​L.A. city Councilman Bernard Parks has been an ardent supporter of the four-times-a-year raves that were fixtures at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena since 1998. Parks, a former LAPD police chief, is a law-and-order guy through- ... More >>

Bernard Parks' Office Owes L.A. Coliseum $40,000 For Fireworks Party: Councilman is a Critic of Venue's Shady Finances

Kim Smith​Updated at the bottom with a response from Parks' office. L.A. Coliseum officials are looking into a $40,000 bill left unpaid by the office of city Councilman Bernard Parks following one of his annual 4th of July community parties at the venue. Documents outlining the outstanding d ... More >>

Reza Gerami, Owner of Rave Promotion Co. Go Ventures, Sees Home, Office Raided in Coliseum Investigation

Go VenturesReza Gerami.​District Attorney's investigators raided the home and office of rave promoter Reza Gerami, owner of Go Ventures, as part of its look into alleged improprieties at the publicly run L.A. Coliseum. Authorities served search warrants at his Malibu home and West Hills offic ... More >>

Financial Takeover of Coliseum Proposed by L.A. County Supervisors Ridley-Thomas, Knabe

L.A. County wants to take over the finances of the troubled L.A. Coliseum Commission, which has been rocked by scandal stemming from 2010's Electric Daisy Carnival rave and leading to allegations that a venue official also worked for the party promoter. A unanimous vote by the L.A. County Board of ... More >>

Rick Caruso, L.A. Biggest Critic of Rave Parties, Resigns From L.A. Coliseum Board, But That Doesn't Mean Electronic Fests Will be Back

Developer and likely mayoral candidate Rick Caruso peaced out of the L.A. Coliseum Commission this week. He's the second commissioner, besides W. Jerome Stanley, to have done so in the last month. It seems to us that, in preparation for a possible run for L.A. city's highest office, the well-dresse ... More >>

Rave Promoter, L.A. Coliseum Being Sued by Parents of Ecstasy Overdose Victim Sasha Rodriguez

Sasha Rodriguez.​Updated with reaction from the promoter, whose attorney calls the suit "completely without merit." First posted at 11:29 a.m. The parents of late teenager Sasha Rodriguez, who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending 2010's Electric Daisy Carnival rave at the publicly run ... More >>

Rave Controversy at L.A. Coliseum Spawns Audit From L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel

Raving at the Coliseum.​L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel will announce that she's launching an audit of the L.A. Coliseum today following reports of double dipping by a venue official who worked for a rave promoters, a taxpayer-owned car allegedly taken by a former general manager, and planne ... More >>

Rave Promoters From Electric Daisy Carnival, Together As One Paid L.A. Coliseum Manager $10,000 a Year

Caesar SebastianEDC.​A report in today's Los Angeles Times expands the number of side jobs former L.A. Coliseum events manager Todd DeStefano had, indicating his own private companies took tens of thousands of dollars from the likes of Coca-Cola and UCLA as those entities booked events at the ... More >>

Rave Promoter Insomniac Claims Troubled 'Electric Daisy Carnival' Had Greater Impact on L.A.'s Economy Than NBA All-Star Weekend

Caesar SebastianRavers at EDC.​A study commissioned by a controversial rave promoter claims that its troubled Electric Daisy Carnival last summer "boosted economic output in Los Angeles by almost $42 million" and had a bigger economic impact on L.A. than the NBA All Star game. The study, cond ... More >>

Rave Promoter Reza Gerami Says He'll Fight (And Sue) For His Right to Party at L.A. Sports Arena

Go VenturesReza Gerami.​Much of the focus regarding raves at the publicly controlled L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena has been trained on the promoter of last summer's controversial Electric Daisy Carnival, which attracted about 160,000 young people over two days. But there's another major prom ... More >>

Raves: Love Festival Planned For Las Vegas in May; L.A. Event Up in the Air

Caesar SebastianRavers at Love Festival in L.A.​Added: Commenters are telling us that this event is planned in addition to the party in L.A., and has happened in past years in Vegas. So calling this a "move" would not be accurate. However, if the event in August is canceled, it might be. We ch ... More >>

Raves: Parties, Sporting Events Will Need Special Vote to Happen at L.A. Coliseum, Sports Arena: Venues Get New Temporary Chief, Too

Kids at the coliseum.​Each and every rave -- if there are any more -- will have to be approved by the Coliseum Commission before they can take place at the L.A. Coliseum or Sports Arena. That was the decision of the commission this week as it continued to deal with the fallout from last summe ... More >>

Raves: Controversial Electric Daisy Carnival to be Held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

Caesar SebastianThe scene at EDC.​Unconfirmed reports have L.A.'s controversial Electric Daisy Carnival rave happening at the Los Vegas Motor Speedway the weekend of June 24. The rave discussion board Plurlife is buzzing with the news, and the Los Angeles Examiner website says it's true but o ... More >>

Raves: Electric Daisy Carnival Leaving L.A. Coliseum For Las Vegas

Caesar SebastianElectric Daisy Carnival.​Update: City council candidate Forescee Hogan-Rowles is claiming victory over raves, after the jump. See our piece about how raves could be finished at the L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena here. After a thorough shellacking over their controversial 2010 ... More >>

Raves: L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena Parties Such as Electric Daisy Carnival Could be Done For Good

EDC: Massive.​As the most controversial rave pulled out of the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum for June, it seems possible that the parities are finished at the stadium and its sister venue the L.A. Sports Arena. The promoter of the 14th annual Electric Daisy Carnival announced late Thursday tha ... More >>

David Israel, L.A. Coliseum Commission's Top Official, Says No to Electric Daisy Carnival Rave

Dennis RomeroColiseum commissioners Barry Sanders and Don Knabe.​After the L.A. Coliseum Commission voted late Tuesday to accept the resignation of its CEO, Patrick Lynch, the body's top leader said he would vote against allowing the controversial Electric Daisy Carnival rave that sparked turm ... More >>

L.A. Coliseum Commission CEO Patrick Lynch Resigns After he Let Manager Double Dip as Employee of Rave Promoter

Matthieu AubreyRavers love lasers: We're guessing Patrick Lynch doesn't.​Update: Late Tuesday afternoon the Coliseum Commission met behind closed doors and voted unanimously to accept the resignation of CEO/general manager Patrick Lynch; Ronald Lederkramer, the venue's director of finance, wa ... More >>

Coliseum Manager Todd DeStefano Hired Lobbyist to Represent Pro-Rave Argument in City Hall

Caesar SebastianA dancer at Electric Daisy Carnival.​The L.A. Coliseum manager who was doing double duty working for the embattled promoter of controversial raves there had also hired a lobbying firm to fight for organizer's right to throw these parties. L.A. City Ethics Commission website sh ... More >>

Raves: Coliseum Commission Calls Special Meeting Over CEO Patrick Lynch Following Coliseum Manager's Double Dipping With Rave Promoter

Electric Daisy Carnival.​You might call it a Lynch mob, at least if the job of Los Angeles Coliseum general manager Patrick Lynch is up in the air tomorrow. The Coliseum Commission has called a special meeting to discuss his employment after it was revealed that the Coliseum events manager, T ... More >>

Was Coliseum Manager Todd DeStefano Also Responsible for Making Sure IDs Were Checked at Electric Daisy Carnival, Other Raves?

Ravers at the L.A. Coliseum.​One of the bigger issues with raves at the publicly owned L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena has been underage party-goers. Even some of the most ardent rave proponents admit that having 15-year-olds overdose on ecstasy, as was the case for Sasha Rodriguez at the Colis ... More >>

Raves: Coliseum Commissioner Rick Caruso Says Rave Ban Back on the Table, Electric Daisy Carnival Still up in the Air

The crowd at EDC.​Following revelations that the L.A. District Attorney's office is investigating an L.A. Coliseum official for working on the side for a rave promoter who's been lobbying the public venue to continue his controversial events there, Coliseum Commission member Rick Caruso says a ... More >>

L.A. Coliseum Manager Todd DeStefano Took Money Working For Electric Daisy Carnival Promoter Even As Raves Were on Thin Ice With His Bosses

Caesar SebastianA dancer at Electric Daisy Carnival.​We thought the review of plans for the next Electric Daisy Carnival megarave was a little too cozy at the Coliseum Commission last week. Police, fire and, yes, L.A. Coliseum officials fell over themselves to declare how safe and legit the ec ... More >>

Raves: L.A. County Leader Mike Antonovich Wants to Pull Plug on How-to-Take-Ecstasy Education Fliers

Raver down at Electric Daisy Carnival.​After LA Weekly brought them to light, an L.A. County leader has asked its Department of Public Heath to stop distributing fliers that essentially teach young people how to trip on ecstasy more safely. The fliers tell ravers to "aim low (dose AND frequen ... More >>

Raves: Challenger to L.A. City Councilman Bernard Parks Asks Him to Give Back Contributions From 'EDC' Promoter, Coliseum Manager

Bernard Parks is being challenged for supporting raves and taking money from a rave promoter.​Never thought we'd see the day when raves were an issue in an L.A. City Council race, but that they are -- especially this week, after the Los Angeles Times reported that a public employee who helped ... More >>

L.A. District Attorney Probing Public Employee Todd DeStefano, Coliseum Manager Who Also Was Paid by Rave Promoter on the Side

Caesar SebastianElectric Daisy Carnival.​The Los Angeles District Attorney's office is looking into possible wrongdoing in the relationship between a public official who helps oversee the L.A. Coliseum and a rave promotion company that puts on events at the venue. "Our Public Integrity Divisi ... More >>

Raves: Rick Caruso Calls for Resignation of Coliseum G.M. Patrick Lynch

Rick Caruso is calling for Patrick Lynch to resign as G.M. of the L.A. Coliseum.​Rick Caruso, the influential developer who also happens to sit on the public Coliseum Commission in L.A., called on Wednesday for the resignation of the venue's general manager, Patrick Lynch. Caruso's demand com ... More >>