Lisa Collins
A jury found suspended City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas guilty of seven of the 19 felony counts filed against him by the United States Attorney’s Office on Thursday, including one count of bribery, one count of conspiracy, one count of honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud.
Ridley-Thomas was stoic as the verdict was read by U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom packed by press and Ridley-Thomas supporters.
“Sad to say, as with most Black men, Mark Ridley-Thomas was guilty in the minds of some before he ever stepped into a downtown courtroom thanks to rampant bias and newspapers like the L.A. Times, who have been slanted their coverage from day one,” said Pastor William Smart, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and who was among supporters in the courtroom. “Most disappointing is that an African American male of his stature can be taken down with a paucity of information in this judicial system. It’s hurtful.”
“Public officials are elected to be a voice and a vote for the people they’re paid to represent, not for their own personal gain,” said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Allegations of public malfeasance must and will be addressed by the FBI before further corrupt actions erode confidence in our public institutions.”
Attorneys for Ridley-Thomas indicated to the court that they would file for a mistrial. In the meantime, word of the verdict led to an outpouring of emotions throughout Los Angeles for Ridley-Thomas—a powerhouse in L.A. political circles—whose decades in public service have transformed the south Los Angeles landscape from the re-opening of the Martin Luther King Jr. hospital to the Empowerment Congress and Neighborhood Council movement.
Said Mayor Karen Bass, “I believe that this is a sad day for Los Angeles,” she said. “And I feel that sadness personally. “Mark Ridley-Thomas has been a champion for our city, a civil rights activist, a thought leader and a policy maker who made real impact on this city. I worked with Mark for more than 40 years to build a more just and equitable Los Angeles.
“A dark day for south Los Angeles,” declared CNN legal commentator and KBLA Talk Radio Host Areva Martin.
“It’s devastating not just for his family but for the community,” stated City Councilmember Curren Price. “We don’t know what next steps are, but our prayers are with his family and for someone who has been a real community champion and a warrior.”
“Justice was not served today. Praying that he wins on appeal. Tragic!!!!,” noted one community resident.
In a case where the lead attorney for the prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Dotson, acknowledged that there was no single document that laid out the conspiracy, and the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness was riddled with holes by defense attorneys, the decision appears to have boiled down to emails left to the interpretation of a 12-member jury with two black jurors.
While long deliberations usually benefit defendants, in this case the timing seemed to have been attributed to confusion over what the jury was to decide. The jury sent 11 notes to the judge over the four days of deliberations in an attempt to understand 23 pages of jury instructions.
The conviction means that Ridley-Thomas’ removal from the L.A. City Council is now permanent.
United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer has scheduled an August 14 sentencing hearing, at which time Ridley-Thomas will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison on the conspiracy count, up to 10 years in federal prison for the bribery count, and up to 20 years in federal prison for each honest services fraud count.
Flynn pled guilty in September 2022 to one count of bribery. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 26. She faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Prosecutors have agreed, however, to recommend she satisfy her custodial term by way of home confinement and will seek a fine against her of no more than $150,000.