The offices and home of Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford were raided by investigators with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Wednesday as part of a probe involving Ledford’s past work for a consulting firm. City Hall was among the six locations searched by investigators, although Palmdale officials insist the probe has nothing to do with the city or its finances.
A spokesman for the city and Mayor Ledford have said they are cooperating fully with the investigation, which appears to center on allegations first made during a 2013 voting rights lawsuit. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, an attorney, represented the plaintiffs in that case.
“[The mayor] testified that he was getting $60,000 a year that he was supposedly working by the hour, but he did no work for it,” said Parris. “That is a gift.”
A law enforcement official confirmed to the L.A. Times that the probe had something to do with a suspected “quid pro quo.” Ledford’s attorney says his client has done nothing wrong and that claims against him are both old and politically motivated.
Read more about the investigation here.