Attorneys for Jose Huizar readily admit that many of the allegations made against the former Los Angeles city councilman in a wide-ranging corruption case are “distasteful.”
Federal prosecutors have accused him of traveling on private jets, staying at luxury hotels, gambling at casinos in Las Vegas and Australia and consorting with prostitutes — all paid for by businessmen seeking to profit from the real estate boom that was transforming his downtown district.
But in a recent court filing, Huizar’s lawyers argued that many of the steps he is accused of taking to help those businessmen, such as setting up meetings and recommending consultants, were too informal to qualify as the type of “official acts” that meet the definition of bribery under federal law.
His lawyers are calling on a judge to dismiss most of the charges, saying prosecutors have failed to meet strict standards set by the Supreme Court for public corruption cases.
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