Robert Rizzo Arrested, Charged With 53 Felonies In Bell, California Public Corruption Scandal (VIDEO)

At least for Rizzo and 7 others in Bell, California, crime does not pay.

Video and background are at the bottom of this story.

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• From the LA Times

 Cooley filed charges against eight Bell officials Tuesday, alleging that they misappropriated $5.5 million in public funds. Rizzo has been charged with 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest.

Among those arrested were former city administrator Robert Rizzo, former assistant city manager Angela Spaccia, Mayor Oscar Hernandez, councilmembers George Mirabal, Teresa Jacobo, Luis Artiga and former councilmembers George Cole and Victor Bello.

"This is corruption on steroids," Cooley said.]

The charges are expected to be detailed at a morning press conference, according to a source with knowledge of the case who was not authorized to comment publicly. A witness told The Times he saw Councilman Luis Artiga taken away in handcuffs Tuesday morning.

A neighbor of Hernandez said authorities used a battering ram on his front door after he failed to answer the door.

"They broke the door down," said the neighbor, who only gave his name as Jose. "They knocked down the door and they brought him out in cuffs."]

For two months, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office and state and federal authorities have investigated Bell, where high salaries earned by former City Manager Robert Rizzo and other top officials have sparked widespread outrage. The Times reported last month that Rizzo was set to earn more than $1.5 million in 2010. Additionally, he gave loans totaling $1.6 million to more than 50 city officials, including himself.

Cooley has said his office was examining whether the various financial transactions in Bell amounted to thefts of public funds. The office is also looking into allegations of voter fraud and whether the high salaries earned by Rizzo and others were legal.

Last week, California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit against current and former Bell city leaders demanding that their pay contracts be nullified and that they pay back some of their salaries and pension benefits. Artiga was not one of those named in the lawsuit, and he said he was working with investigators.

Video:  Fox News coverage

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Video:  More detail from AP

Story background:

• Meet California Public Employee Robert Rizzo: News of His $800,000 Salary (And 12% Annual Raises) in City of 38,000 Causes Riot (VIDEO)

• UPDATE: Robert Rizzo's Salary & Benefits Topped $1.5 Million, California AG Jerry Brown Expands Investigation

• UPDATE: Robert Rizzo's Pension Being 'Withheld' By California Attorney General, $100k Council Members Get HUGE Salary Haircut

• UPDATE: Disgraced Robert Rizzo Set To Become Highest Paid Retiree In California Public Pension System

Comments

[DailyBail]

Former City Manager Robert Rizzo among 8 Bell officials arrested

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/09/former-city-administrator-robert-rizzo-among-8-bell-officials-arrested.html

[DailyBail]

Fidel Castro firmly backs Israel's right to exist:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100922/wl_mideast_afp/uscubairanisraelcastropoliticsreligion

[DailyBail]

LOS ANGELES – Eight current and former officials of the city of Bell appeared in shackles before judges in a corruption case prosecutors said Wednesday was so ingrained in the blue-collar suburb that almost anyone who could have blown the whistle was benefiting from it.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_bell_salaries;_ylt=AvvGK6TLcm_e6Tryty0qrNWbOrgF;_ylu=X3oDMTJqYnBuOWhsBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwOTIzL3VzX2JlbGxfc2FsYXJpZXMEY3BvcwM1BHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDcHJvc2VjdXRvcnNz

More detail...

[DailyBail]

Egg company chiefs give Congress few answers

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_tainted_eggs

[DailyBail]

Obama faults himself for not selling health law

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obama_health_overhaul

Idiot...the problem is that it was a giveaway to Big Insurance and no one likes the individual mandate...it is unconstitutional...

[DailyBail]

WASHINGTON – Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, a prominent member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle, told the FBI that the dictator "delighted" in the 1998 terrorist bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa but had no interest in partnering with Osama bin Laden, declassified documents show.

"Saddam did not trust Islamists," Aziz said, according to handwritten notes of a June 27, 2004 interrogation, although he viewed al-Qaida as an "effective" organization.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_iraq_interrogations

Read that z...

[DailyBail]

CBS) A Wisconsin district attorney is under fire -- charged by three different women with sending lewd, suggestive text messages and even offering to trade legal favors for sex.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/22/earlyshow/main6890253.shtml

[DailyBail]

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/North-Dakota-Devils-Lake/ss/events/us/092210devilslake

Slideshow..lake swallows house...

[DailyBail]

"It just seems to me," Bill O'Reilly said while speaking with analysts Juan Williams and Mary Katharine Ham, "I don't know, Juan, I'm trying to be fair to Ms. O'Donnell. She's been on this program a couple of times, and we have some kind of crazy stuff that she said. We're not going to play it yet. I don't think it's relevant yet. We'd still like Ms. O'Donnell to come on the 'Factor.' I'm not in the business of [injuring] her. I'd like to see if she's the better candidate."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/6834846_bill_oreilly_on_christine_odonnell_we_have_some_kind_of_crazy_stuff_that_she_said;_ylt=Ao_uNGsBMVSiGkbxdE02PuOWwvIE;_ylu=X3oDMTU3OG9zMTdjBGFzc2V0Ay9zL2FjLzY4MzQ4NDZfYmlsbF9vcmVpbGx5X29uX2NocmlzdGluZV9vZG9ubmVsbF93ZV9oYXZlX3NvbWVfa2luZF9vZl9jcmF6eV9zdHVmZl90aGF0X3NoZV9zYWlkBGNjb2RlA21wX2VjXzhfMTAEY3BvcwM0BHBvcwM0BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDYmlsbG9yZWlsbHlv

[DailyBail]

Obama rejects criticism that he's been too hard on Wall Street

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-pn-obama-jobs-20100921,0,4747185.story

What a joke...

[S. Gompers]

They should put them in general populace to save the taxpayers some money, it is bad enough the the illegal taxes they imposed will put Bell into receivership and cost even more money to the swindled constituants.

The sad thing is they are still getting paid.

Rizzo stands to be the highest paid pensioner on the California public pension system, way to go state. Everyone else may now bash the unions for the states mismanagement of public money.

[Cheyenne]

What a fat fuck. Get a load of that belt.

[Z]

A lot of posting DB...

Saddam did not trust himself, that's a news flash. I am sure that you got something else from that post, did it have to do with trusting the word of one of his murdering amigos? Please share...

[DailyBail]

cheyenne...he looks like fat dirty bastard...austin powers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5110hk9W71E

[LN]

Man, that dude in Bell, CA has bigger breasts than my wife. Good grief.

[DailyBail]

he's probably been eating cheetos and oreos ever since his scam was unearthed...sitting at home and watching his world collapse on tivo...

[S. Gompers]

He is still drawing a check as well, think about that as he sits in jail buying candy bars...

[DailyBail]

and it's a pretty big check at that -- $800k in salary alone...his bail was set at $3 million or something close...

[karmadude]

Stephen McCray Melonka Renaldo McCray Criminals Stole grant money and property including school van from California charter school funded by fraud- from Southern California Academy of Arts and Sciences
Lawndale school district, SCAAS
4119 charlene drive
view park, ca 90043
http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/2010/01/20/20100120school-embezzlement-chandler-arrest.html

The recording studio that was for the children, instruments, commercial kitchen supplies and sporting goods- all went to their own children after they were shut down by LAUSD but the fact that they commited fraud was not known by LAUSD when they were shut down- the fraud part was discovered and brought to LAUSD attention by none other than a family member of Stephen and Melonka McCray and still nothing was done about it- despite the evidence and witnesses and photos provided! Unbelievable.

This occurred at SoCal Academy of Arts and Sciences (SCAAS) in Los Angeles off Vermont before it was closed down. Records that they asked TO BE DESTROYED were retained and will prove that they were both paid excessive sums of money and employed relatives including a sister, mother, sons daughter and even personal friends and that Stephen McCray received AT LEAST $8,000 PER MONTH and sometimes even more and he only appeared or did work with for the school maybe 3 times during its entire existence. why has this been shunned and ignored? why are they getting away with this? additionally, the state of the art recording studio ($30k+), tons of computer, instruments, books, sporting goods and kitchen supplies (industrial freezer and industrial fridge valued at $5k a PIECE) were carted off to their home at 4119 charlene drive, los angeles, ca 90043 when the school was closed. despicable!

Mr McCray is still principal within Lawndale school district and he retires in about 2 years.

defaulted on Winterpark, Florida home
while keeping tenants in the house renting.
Mr and Mrs McCray do homework for their kids - Kristen Renaldo McCray and Ian Giovanni McCray. Why? So they can continue to qualify for grant money. They use their kids to apply for students loans, grants etc. Steve McCray has mail going to 3860 hepburn, los angeles CA 90008 and Melonka has mail going to 4119 charlene dr, 90043 and 2106 nelson ave, 9078 and 2110 artesia blvd #b244 to maintain the "poor single mom raising kids on my own" nonsense - a big facade to generate more money for themselves!

[RecoverylessRecovery]

What happened in the City of Bell proves my point; change can only occur thru open revolt or at least the threat of it. The pissed-off people of Bell in this case swarmed their civic center belligerantly and DEMANDED change. It was only AFTER they did that that prosecutors sudden;y decided to look into the case and issue subpoenas.

Typical Third World popular rage. LEARN IT WELL; you'll be using these skills a LOT in the years to come.

[RecoverylessRecovery]

Signs You May Be LIving in a Third World Shithole;

All the senior executives of a city are indicted and arrested on corruption charges EXCEPT for the city police chief, who just so happens to be friends with the charging

Bienvenidos a Colombia.

[RecoverylessRecovery]

Signs You May Be Living in a Third World Shithole;

All the senior executives of a city are indicted and arrested on corruption charges EXCEPT for the city police chief, who just so happens to be friends with the charging DA.

Bienvenidos a Colombia

[S. Gompers]

That has been happening all over the country for years RLR, I remember a pesky thing like that in Providence RI (they got it good, RICO and all) about ten years ago like that while I was working in Connecticut as just one example I have seen repeated over and over again while everyone continues to watch tv or go to the soccer game and play mighty hunter/ gatherer at the fat food drive thru.

[S. Gompers]

Even where I am from we have six million missing, FBI investigating, and damn, no Democrats in office to blame.

What do I do?

[Sagebrush]

Must have been Witchcraft!