The U.S. Attorney’s Office pressed for a six-year sentence for former City Council member Mark Ridley-Thomas, even though the jury acquitted him of the charges related to financial gain for his family member in exchange for decisions he made to approve contracts while a member of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
But the specific actions for which Ridley-Thomas was convicted do not involve personal enrichment for himself or his family. The jury found him guilty only of the charges related to a $100,000 payment that went from his campaign account through USC to United Way, a payment that a former chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission testified was not illegal.
Ridley-Thomas is appealing the conviction, and history suggests he has an excellent chance to prevail. In the Ridley-Thomas case, where is the bribe? Bob McDonnell got a Rolex, $15,000 for wedding expenses and $20,000 in designer clothes. What did Ridley-Thomas get?