Former Los Angeles official Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of multiple charges related to corruption, Thursday.

Ridley-Thomas, 68, was convicted on one charge of bribery, once conspiracy charge, a charge of honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud.

The charges stem from an alleged scheme that occurred during his service on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 2018. Ridley-Thomas was accused of voting in favor of an amendment for a Telehealth contract with the Department of Mental Health at USC, in exchange for his son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, being hired at the USC School of Social Work.

In September 2022, former USC dean of social work Marilyn Louise Flynn, 84, agreed to plead guilty for charges connected to the Ridley-Thomas case.

The guilty plea was for a federal charge that she bribed Ridley-Thomas by funneling $100,000 he provided from his campaign account, to the United Ways of Southern California organization.

After the $100,000 payment was processed in May 2018, Flynn said she met with Ridley-Thomas to discuss his vote in favor of the amended Telehealth contract, or the “master contract stuff,” as it was referred to in conversations.

Attorney Daralyne Durie, who represented Ridley-Thomas, said that the former supervisor had already previously shown favor toward the Telehealth contract and argued allegations of bribery for such support did not make sense.

The federal charges against Ridley-Thomas were first presented in October 2021. At the time he had just been elected to the Los Angeles City Council after finishing his term as a supervisor. Ridley-Thomas stepped away from his council and committee duties, before the council took an 11-3 vote to suspend him from the council until the charges and case were resolved.

In that time, Councilman Herb Wesson served the 10th district in an interim role, before Heather Hutt was appointed and continues to serve today.

The district judge set an Aug. 14 sentencing date for Ridley-Thomas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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