Lee’s Violation of the Public Trust
In the wake of a United States Attorney’s Office investigation into the now infamous 2017 Las Vegas trip in which Lee was involved, The Director of Enforcement initiated an investigation and determined that an enforcement action should be commenced against Lee. The accusation details the laws that were allegedly violated and sets forth the acts with which Lee is charged:
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Two counts of accepting excess gifts
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Three counts of failing to disclose gifts
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Four counts of misusing a City position
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One count of aiding and abetting the misuse of a City position:
LA City Ethics
Findings
LA City Ethics Findings
It was also recently determined by the LA City Ethics Commission that probable cause exists to believe that City Councilmember John Lee also violated governmental ethics laws by accepting gifts in excess of the gift limit, failing to report gifts, misusing his City position, and aiding and abetting another person’s misuse of a City position. Some of those details include:
Misleading the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) conducted an investigation into public corruption in the City of Los Angeles. Part of the investigation included interviewing Englander and Lee. Lee assisted Englander in attempting to mislead the FBI and the USAO regarding whether Englander and Lee had made reimbursements for gifts received during a 2017 Las Vegas trip.
Unreported Gifts
In 2016 and 2017, including during a 2017 trip to Las Vegas, Lee accepted multiple gifts from a businessperson and a developer, most of which exceeded the gift limit. Lee failed to publicly disclose those gifts, which he was required to do.
Sources:
https://ethics.lacity.org/news/accusation-issued-against-councilmember-john-lee/
https://ethics.lacity.org/wp-content/uploads/Accusation-Lee-20230926.pdf
