Los Angeles City Councilman Karen Price was indicted Tuesday on 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest in a multi-year parade of elected city officials facing public corruption allegations from state or federal prosecutors. became the newest person in the

Price, a 10-year veteran on the city council, has been charged with five counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Officials did not immediately provide details of the charges or a copy of the criminal complaint.

No comment has been received on pricing at this time. He left the city hall shortly after Tuesday’s meeting ended around 2 p.m.

The charges are the latest in a string of criminal charges and scandals that have rocked City Hall. Leaked conversation containing racist remarks last year between City Council Speaker Nuri Martinez, Councilors Kevin De Leon and Gil Zedillo, and President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Trade Unions, Ron Herrera ended Martinez’s career as a city councilor, ousted Herrera from office and converted De Leon to the council. political outcast.

Earlier this year, city councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was found guilty of conspiracy, bribery and fraud after extracting his son’s profits from the University of Southern California during a vote on an issue that would benefit the school.

City councilors Mitch Englander and Jose Hwysar also pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in recent years after being investigated by the FBI.

Mr. Price was one of the city hall figures mentioned in the FBI investigation that trapped Mr. Huisar and Mr. Englander after they were named in the case. federal search warrant Federal prosecutors did not indict him.

In 2019, Price became the subject of ethical concerns after it emerged that he had voted on an item that could affect clients of a consulting firm owned by his wife, Del Richardson. The Times reported that at least 10 companies voted for a decision involving at least 10 companies in the same year Price went public as providing at least $10,000 in revenue to Dell Richardson and Associates.

According to the Dell Richardson & Associates website, Dell Richardson & Associates offers a wide range of services including relocation assistance, marketing and recruitment. According to the website, customers include government agencies such as Jordan Downs, housing projects overseen by the Los Angeles County Municipal Transportation Authority and the City of Los Angeles Housing Authority.

In 2019, a Price spokesperson said neither the city councilor nor his wife benefited financially from the vote the Times originally disclosed. The spokesperson also said Mr Price “never voted in his own or his wife’s financial interest”.

California law prohibits public officials from making or participating in government decisions that they “know or have reason to know have an economic interest.”

Mr. Price’s accusations are likely to upend the relative calm of the scandal-stricken city council that has regained stability in recent months.

The immediate question will be whether Mr. Price, whose term is due to expire in 2026, will remain in Congress while battling the charges. He was first elected to City Council in 2013 on behalf of his South Los Angeles neighborhood and his LA Live neighborhood in downtown.

Price’s colleagues are likely to face pressure to suspend him, given that the council has twice passed resolutions to suspend other lawmakers facing criminal charges in the past three years.

If suspended, Price will not be able to attend council or committee meetings, sign contracts, use discretionary funds or engage in voter services. His South LA voters will also lack voting representatives.

If convicted of a felony under city rule, Mr. Price would lose his seat for good.

Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report.