Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price will stand trial in a case surrounding embezzlement of government funds, perjury, and a conflict of interest.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba ordered Price, a Democrat, to answer to the twelve public corruption charges.
“This is a significant step toward holding L.A. Councilmember Curren Price accountable for years of alleged corruption,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. “Our Public Integrity Division has been prepared to go to trial since the charges were originally filed. The rules are clear: elected officials cannot enrich themselves at the expense of their constituents, cannot lie on disclosure forms, and cannot vote on matters in which they have a conflict of interest.”
“We proved during the preliminary hearing that Councilmember Price engaged in these repeated acts of deception, fraud and conflict of interest for years, overcoming his baseless arguments to blame others, including his staff and his lawyers, instead of owning responsibility for his actions,” Hochman added.
Price’s arraignment is set for March 13.
Hochman’s office explained in August that a company owned by Price’s wife, Delbra Pettice Richardson, “received payments totaling more than $150,000 between 2019 and 2021 from developers before he voted to approve projects.” Price has also been accused of embezzling an estimated $33,800 in city funds between 2013 and 2017 to pay for medical benefits for his wife, whom he falsely claimed he was married to while being legally married to Lynn Suzette Price.
It was further alleged that Price took advantage of his position to award city lease agreements and more than $2 million in federal COVID-19 grants to the nonprofit Home at Last, an entity linked to a separate organization where Price served as CEO.
