Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch Englander pleaded guilty to one count of “scheming to falsify material facts” Tuesday. Englander will be sentenced on September 28 and faces up to five years in federal prison after he admitted to lying to FBI agents about gifts he received from a businessperson in 2017.

Justice Department officials said that Englander accepted an envelope with $10,000 in cash, $34,000 in bottle service at a nightclub, $2,481 for a dinner, $1,000 in gambling chips and a female escort who was instructed to go to his hotel room. 

Englander also allegedly accepted $5,000 in cash from this businessperson at a Palm Springs golf tournament. 

In his admission, Englander said he lied to the FBI on three separate occasions in 2017 and 2018, along with falsely stating that he had not spoken with the businessperson about the FBI investigation. 

Englander was one of five people arrested in relation to the FBI’s investigation into improper benefits, including Councilmember Jose Huizar on June 23. Huizar allegedly accepted $1.5 million in bribes to approve business projects and will be arraigned July 20.

Englander vacated his seat on the city council in 2018 with two years left in his term.

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