Former South El Monte Mayor Luis Aguinaga entered a guilty plea for one federal count of bribery in a downtown Los Angeles court Thursday amid revelations that he and another unidentified city official accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from a city contractor. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 19 for sentencing.
Just one day before Aguinaga’s official plea, California State Controller Betty Yee confirmed that her office will begin an audit of the city’s finances this week. Yee is already reviewing South El Monte’s use of gas tax funds, but this will be a far more comprehensive investigation that will include an analysis of the city’s administrative and internal accounting controls, especially for fiscal years 2013-14 and 2014-15.
The city joined both the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and Assemblyman Ian Calderon (D-Whittier) in requesting the audit on Aug. 23. At that same meeting, the former city manager also resigned his post.
“I have concluded that there is reason to believe that the Annual Reports of Financial Transactions by the City are false, incomplete, or incorrect,” Yee said in a letter to Jennifer Vasquez, interim city manager.
The investigation could take around eight weeks and will include an analysis of the city’s payroll records, audit reports, personnel records, contracts and purchase invoices. The city will be liable for the costs.
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