Criminal law, Politics, Society

For Whom The Bell Tolls: Eight City Officials Arrested in Pay Scandal

There has been a development in the story over the officials in Bell, California. As we previously discussed, city officials raked in obscene salaries until exposed by the media. Eight of the officials have now reportedly been arrested, including former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo. Also reportedly arrested were Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia; Mayor Oscar Hernandez; Councilmembers Luis Artiga, Teresa Jacobo and George Mirabal; and former Councilmembers George Cole and Victor Bello.

Robert Rizzo is California’s $13 million man. While Rizzo and two of his colleagues have resigned from their positions with the small town of Bell (where Rizzo was pulling in a salary of roughly $800,000 a year), they will still be able to collect millions in pension. In Rizzo’s case, his $650,000 annual pension could yield $13 million in twenty years.

Rizzo was making roughly twice the salary of President Obama — to oversee a city of less than 40,000 people. Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia and Police Chief Randy Adams also resigned.

Adams was making 50% more than the chief of police in Los Angeles. He was pulling in $457,000 and Spaccia made $376,288 a year.

Adams could now claim more than $411,000 a year and Spaccia, 51, could claim as much as $250,000 a year. Spaccia would have to wait until when she reaches 55 however. She could then pull in $7,500,000 if she lives another thirty years. Even at 20 years, Adams could pull in $8,220,000. As for Rizzo, a twenty-year pension period would give him an additional $13,000,000 dollars.

The charges appear to be misappropriation of public funds. Rizzo alone is facing 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest.

Witnesses said that police used a battering ram to break down the front door of Hernandez before taking him away in handcuffs.

Source: LA Times

23 thoughts on “For Whom The Bell Tolls: Eight City Officials Arrested in Pay Scandal”

  1. Update:

    “Angela Spaccia convicted in Bell corruption scandal

    Robert Rizzo’s deputy is convicted of misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and other charges. She is expected to be sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison.”

    http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-1210-angela-spaccia-20131210,0,2787993.story#axzz2n6lc8Z5e

    Excerpt:

    Angela Spaccia, the $564,000-a-year deputy to the disgraced former city manager of Bell, was found guilty Monday of 11 felony counts related to her role in the corruption scandal, becoming the seventh official convicted of enriching themselves at the expensive of the working-class residents.

    Spaccia, the last figure in the Bell scandal to be convicted or enter a plea, was taken away in handcuffs after a jury rendered the verdicts in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.

    Though she wept several times during her testimony, Spaccia showed no emotion when the verdicts were read, pronouncing her guilty of multiple counts of misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and secretion of public documents. The verdicts came on the 10th day of deliberations.

    Spaccia probably faces a sentence similar to the 10 years to 12 years in prison that her former boss, Robert Rizzo, is expected to receive, prosecutors said. Rizzo pleaded no contest to 69 corruption charges in October.

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