Escorts, Cash In Envelopes: LA Councilman Indicted For Pay-To-Play Scheme With Real Estate Developer

Envelopes containing thousands of dollars in cash, female escorts, bottle service and golf outings were just some of the many bribes an unnamed real estate developer allegedly provided to a former Los Angeles City Councilman, who once served on the city's powerful planning commission, according to the Department of Justice in California. Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander, 49, who resigned abruptly from his post in 2018 after serving seven years on the council, turned himself into federal authorities Monday after being named in a seven-count indictment.

Englander is accused of participating in a scheme to falsify material facts, making false statements and witness tampering, according to officials. Englander pleaded not guilty, according to reports. Englander's indictment is part of an ongoing public corruption investigation into city hall and real estate developers being held by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The FBI is conducting a corruption probe into one of Englander's former colleagues, Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar. Huizar has not been arrested but after the FBI raided his office, he was stripped of his duties on the planning committee, according to the LA Times.

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/los-angeles/news/commercial-real-estate/la-councilman-indicted-for-pay-to-play-scheme-with-real-estate-developer-103351