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Part 131: Mark Ridley-Thomas and David Lee Cases Appealed to a Higher Authority
Published November 21, 2024.
By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist
The legal table was set: two bribery-related cases, with a dash of old-fashioned, honest-services fraud to back the corruption cake. “Back-to-back appellate arguments in two (2) Los Angeles public corruption cases means a morning of must-see TV at the 9th Circuit,” declared journalist Meghann Cuniff on X, formerly known as Twitter. First up was the legendary politician Mark Ridley-Thomas, the embattled former City Councilmember AND County Supervisor beyond seats in Sacramento in both the Assembly and Senate. Supporters of Ridley-Thomas, who is perhaps the most well-known African-American politician ever to hold sway in Los Angeles, were certain to pack the courthouse, and so they did. Even the overflow chamber was done to just a few seats, plus or minus those from the firms representing Ridley-Thomas. More legal firepower may just be the answer to Ridley Thomas's prayer for relief from his 3.5-year prison sentence.
MRT, as he’s acronymed, was found guilty in August 2023 after a 16-day trial of “one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, one count of honest services mail fraud, and four counts of honest services wire fraud.” Argumentation from attorney Alyssa Bell, a former public defender in the Appellate Unit turned Cohen Williams LLP partner; her webpage notes how she now “leverages her background” for her clients in order to “restore their reputation and preserve their interests.” Bell’s barrage that rather than engage in blatant corruption, Ridley-Thomas had sought to “avoid nepotistic optics” was almost downright convincing. Most-especially for MRT, not-the-least because his partner-in-crime, Dean Marilyn Flynn, facing a maximum of 10 years in federal prison, had gotten the proverbial slap on the wrist in pleading guilty “to one count of bribery” in exchange for “three years of probation, including 18 months of home confinement” and a fine of “$150,000.” That’s actually more than Ridley-Thomas raised for his legal defense, “$100,000,” but still well under the value of the two scholarships and faculty job he had sought for his troubled son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, who had a troubled stint in the State Assembly.
Link: https://zacharyellison.substack.com/p/part-131-mark-ridley-thomas-and-david
By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist
The legal table was set: two bribery-related cases, with a dash of old-fashioned, honest-services fraud to back the corruption cake. “Back-to-back appellate arguments in two (2) Los Angeles public corruption cases means a morning of must-see TV at the 9th Circuit,” declared journalist Meghann Cuniff on X, formerly known as Twitter. First up was the legendary politician Mark Ridley-Thomas, the embattled former City Councilmember AND County Supervisor beyond seats in Sacramento in both the Assembly and Senate. Supporters of Ridley-Thomas, who is perhaps the most well-known African-American politician ever to hold sway in Los Angeles, were certain to pack the courthouse, and so they did. Even the overflow chamber was done to just a few seats, plus or minus those from the firms representing Ridley-Thomas. More legal firepower may just be the answer to Ridley Thomas's prayer for relief from his 3.5-year prison sentence.
MRT, as he’s acronymed, was found guilty in August 2023 after a 16-day trial of “one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, one count of honest services mail fraud, and four counts of honest services wire fraud.” Argumentation from attorney Alyssa Bell, a former public defender in the Appellate Unit turned Cohen Williams LLP partner; her webpage notes how she now “leverages her background” for her clients in order to “restore their reputation and preserve their interests.” Bell’s barrage that rather than engage in blatant corruption, Ridley-Thomas had sought to “avoid nepotistic optics” was almost downright convincing. Most-especially for MRT, not-the-least because his partner-in-crime, Dean Marilyn Flynn, facing a maximum of 10 years in federal prison, had gotten the proverbial slap on the wrist in pleading guilty “to one count of bribery” in exchange for “three years of probation, including 18 months of home confinement” and a fine of “$150,000.” That’s actually more than Ridley-Thomas raised for his legal defense, “$100,000,” but still well under the value of the two scholarships and faculty job he had sought for his troubled son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, who had a troubled stint in the State Assembly.
Link: https://zacharyellison.substack.com/p/part-131-mark-ridley-thomas-and-david