A former Los Angeles lawmaker was sentenced to 14 months in prison on Monday for obstructing a corruption investigation related to receiving inappropriate gifts such as money and female escort services.
Former councilman Mitchell Englander, 50, is due to surrender to federal authorities on June 1, when he will begin serving at least 85% of that mandate, a Justice Department spokesman said.
“I make no excuses, I am responsible for what I did and I take 100% of the responsibility,” Englander told US District Court Judge John F. Walter.
“I apologize to the court, the FBI, the community, my former constituents and, most importantly, my family, my wife and my daughters.”
Englander represented the LA City Council District 12 – covering the San Fernando Valley neighborhoods in Granada Hills, Chatsworth and Northridge – from July 2011 until his abrupt resignation in late 2018.
At the time he resigned, Englander was the only Republican on the 15-member non-partisan city council. There are currently no Republicans registered on the panel.
He pleaded guilty last July to a conspiracy charge for falsifying material facts, stemming from the “Casino Loyale” investigation that also ensnared ex-councilman Jose Huizar and 10 other defendants. Huizar is due to be tried in June for extortion of 41 charges. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors said Englander had accepted lavish gifts for consideration by a powerful city planning committee.
On a trip to Las Vegas, for example, Englander received an envelope with $ 10,000 in cash, $ 1,000 in tokens, $ 34,000 in bottle service at a nightclub and the services of two escorts – one of whom was later instructed to go to your hotel room, prosecutors said.
Judge Walter said Englander exacerbated corruption by trying to cover his tracks.
“The defendant’s obstruction campaign was calculated, extensive in scope and duration, and designed to mislead investigators,” said Walter before the sentence.
“He chose to lie and get involved in this elaborate and clandestine scheme to hide his lies, making sure that businessman A also lied during his interviews with the FBI in order to coordinate lies.”
Andrew Blankstein contributed.