Rizzo has been charged with 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest.
Among those arrested were former city administrator Robert Rizzo, former assistant city manager Angela Spaccia, Mayor Oscar Hernandez, council members George Mirabal, Teresa Jacobo, Luis Artiga and former council members George Cole and Victor Bello.
[L.A. County D.A. Steve] Cooley has said his office was examining whether the various financial transactions in Bell amounted to thefts of public funds. The office is also looking into allegations of voter fraud and whether the high salaries earned by Rizzo and others were legal.
Last week, California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit against current and former Bell city leaders demanding that their pay contracts be nullified and that they pay back some of their salaries and pension benefits.
Chief Administration Officer Robert Rizzo (was picked up on 53 counts of corruption) was hauling in a salary of $800,000 per year with additional bonuses, benefits amounting to about $1.5 million/year. Police Chief Randy Adams has been paid $457,000 per year. This in a city where the average salary is 30 g's and while the town has a population of 40 thousand they currently have an unemployment rate reported to be around 16%.
I just have two itty bitty things to say about this story:
1) It"s about time something was done about these thieves.
2) The only difference between these guys and every other politician/ tax eater past, present and future is the amount they stole from those that they rule. These guys just got so greedy everyone was forced to wake up and do something about it.
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