Long-time politician Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of bribery.
Ridley-Thomas, 68, of Los Angeles, Calif., was found guilty of seven felonies including one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, one count of honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud, according to a March 30 news release.
“When elected leaders engage in acts of corruption, our community suffers immense damage. Ridley-Thomas engaged in a corrupt conspiracy with a university dean to steer taxpayer-funded contracts to the school in exchange for benefits for his son,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in the release. "Today’s verdict sends a clear message to public officials that my office will vigorously investigate and prosecute those who abuse their power and thereby breach the public trust.”
Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of a scheme where his son received significant benefits from the University of Southern California in exchange for Ridley-Thomas' political support for lucrative county contracts and contract amendments with the university while he was on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the release said.
Over the course of his political career, Ridley-Thomas served in the California State Senate and, most recently, the Los Angeles City Council, the release reported. After being charged in this case, he was removed from city council in October 2021.
“Public officials are elected to be a voice and a vote for the people they're paid to represent, not for their own personal gain. Allegations of public malfeasance must and will be addressed by the FBI before further corrupt actions erode confidence in our public institutions,” Donald Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office said in the release.
Ridley-Thomas’ son abruptly resigned from the California State Assembly in December 2017, citing health problems, according to the release. Ridley-Thomas’ son was the focus of a sexual harassment probe at the time of his resignation, a fact neither USC nor the general public knew. Prosecutors claimed evidence from emails and witness testimony at trial proved the resignation’s stated reason was a ruse.
Behind the scenes, Ridley-Thomas was directing a public relations campaign to persuade people his son was ill, and a legal team was assembled to put an end to the assembly’s probe, according to the release. The evidence presented at trial, according to the prosecution, showed that obtaining his son prestigious degrees, titles and well-paying employment was a key component of Ridley-Thomas’ public relations strategy.
