The City of Bell is certainly up in arms over the revelation that its administrative staff were extremely well compensated. As the New York Times reported, the mayor and former city manager were among eight current and former city officials of the working class town south of Los Angeles, who were arrested this week amid allegations that they were drawing salaries of as much as $800,000.
Those charged with white collar crimes or embezzlement in Los Angeles or the surrounding area need immediate access to an aggressive and experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who can protect their rights. Frankly, as despicable as many find the situation, we have yet to see any evidence of illegality. And we suspect that is precisely what has made it so newsworthy. It is not against the law to pay yourself an insane salary if the proper safeguards were in place, such as approval by an elected council. Throwing people out of office and electing new officials is one thing. Throwing them in jail because no one was minding the store is quite another.
L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley is no dummy. Being a candidate for Attorney General, he was quick to jump aboard the media train with the announcement of felony charges. "This is corruption on steroids," he said. And the Los Angeles Times is busy tooting its own horn about exposing the alleged corruption. The city's police chief resigned last month, having been paid a salary of $457,000 a year.
Yet these salaries happened because of a lack of attention. Likely the result of hefty raises approved over a period of years by a council that was permitted to act with autonomy and with little or no oversight from the media. The Los Angeles Times last cut hundreds of staffers from its newsroom in recent years. Was there a Bell reporter among them?
The real question is how many more Bells are out there?
If you need to speak to a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer experienced in fraud and other white collar crimes, contact Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
