LA Councilman Price Faces Multiple Felony Corruption Charges

Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price faces two new public corruption charges, adding to previous felony counts of embezzlement, perjury, and conflict of interest related to projects benefiting his wife financially. Prosecutors allege Price’s wife received over $800,000 from the city’s housing authority and LA Metro while Price voted to approve multimillion-dollar contracts, alongside prior claims of over $150,000 in payments from developers to her consulting company. Price is also accused of embezzling nearly $33,800 in city funds to pay for medical benefits for his wife before they were legally married, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorney argues the case is weak, asserting no evidence shows Price’s awareness of conflicts when voting. The Los Angeles County District Attorney emphasized that self-dealing and pay-to-play politics will not be tolerated, and Price’s arraignment on the new charges is scheduled for Thursday. If convicted, Price could face more than 11 years in custody and potential suspension from the City Council, marking him as the third councilmember facing suspension over criminal charges in recent years.