Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitchell Englander was sentenced Monday morning to 14 months in federal prison for his conduct surrounding his obstruction of a public corruption investigation.
While representing District 12 in the San Fernando Valley, Englander schemed to cover up cash payments, expensive meals, escort services and other gifts offered to him from an individual who sought to increase his business opportunities in the city.
“He was motivated by plain old-fashioned greed, selfishness, and a desperate desire to cling to his status as a wealthy and powerful City official,” prosecutors argued in the sentencing, noting that his corrupt conduct has “caused lasting civic damage by undermining the City’s faith in its public servants.”
While serving as a city councilmember and a reserve officer with the LAPD, Englander accepted multiple suspicious amenities from a businessman identified as “Businessperson A” back in 2017 during various trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs. During their Las Vegas trip, Englander accepted an envelope with $10,000 in cash, a hotel room, gambling money, expensive bottle service, dinner, and escorts, all from Businessperson A. At a golf tournament in Palm Springs, Englander accepted an envelope containing $5,000 in cash from him as well.
Shortly afterwards, Englander arranged a meeting for Businessperson A to pitch his business to a developer friend of the councilmember.
“Over numerous incidents of escalating corruption and self-preservation, Englander sold out both oaths, cheaply and repeatedly,” prosecutors stated in the sentencing memorandum.
Englander was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter who, in addition to the prison term, ordered Englander to pay a $15,000 fine and denied his request for probation.
Englander was the first person to be charged in relation to Operation “Casino Loyale”, the ongoing corruption investigation being conducted by the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office that has focused on a wide-ranging “pay-to-play” scheme in which developers bribed L.A. city officials to secure official acts to benefit their real estate projects. A total of nine individuals and two businesses have now been charged as a result of this investigation, with several of them pleading guilty and await sentencing later this year.
From August 2017 until December 2018, Englander knowingly and willfully falsified and concealed material facts pertaining to the investigation. He covered up facts that he had accepted items of value during the trips and directed a witness to lie to and mislead federal investigators. On at least three occasions, Englander attempted to coordinate statements he made to the FBI and federal prosecutors with Businessperson A, and counseled him on how to lie to and mislead the FBI agents conducting the investigation.
Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter in the City of Los Angeles is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s email tip line at pctips-losangeles@fbi.gov or to contact the FBI’s L.A. Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
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