![]() In addition to the fine, Walter put Shen Zhen New World I on probation for five years, requiring the company to open its books to government review, adopt an ethics code and publicize its conviction on the company’s website. Har acknowledged the cause was “honorable,” but suggested it was not “purely altruistic” since it produced revenue for the company at a time when hotels were struggling to survive high vacancies during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This has been a big deal for the city, there’s no doubt about it,” Richard Steingard, an attorney for the company, told Walter at the sentencing.Īssistant U.S. They also sought credit for the company’s participation in a city program to provide rooms for homeless people at the L.A. Wife, mother and brother of Huizar admit laundering cash payoffs. skyscraper developer paid Jose Huizar more than $1 million in bribesĬhinese developer of L.A. They reminded Walter that two other developers implicated in Huizar’s extortion racket had reached deals with prosecutors to pay fines of no more than $1.2 million apiece.Ĭalifornia Jury finds L.A. “This five-year bribery scheme was brazen, devised and carried out with impunity by the sole owner and highest authority for the company - Chairman Huang - with the help of his employees and associates acting under his direction,” they wrote.Īttorneys for Shen Zhen New World I had recommended a fine in the range of $1 million to $2 million. They urged Walter to impose the maximum $4-million fine “to protect the public from further crimes” by Huang’s company, saying it would be “just a drop in the bucket” for a developer who routinely bet that much on a weekend’s casino visits. In court papers, prosecutors lamented the “culture of corruption” in Los Angeles. ![]() The jury found the company guilty of five counts of bribery and three counts of wire fraud. But extortion and, to a limited extent, bribery have been expanded to include actions by private citizens as well. Extortion was originally the complement of bribery, both crimes involving interference with or by public officials. One example could be a party negotiating a deal with a contractor neither party could make a threat towards one another in exchange for something in the contract. extortion, the unlawful exaction of money or property through intimidation. The crime of extortion does exclude legitimate negotiation methods. In his absence, Shen Zhen New World I was put on trial last fall, giving Huang what prosecutors described in court papers as “a free preview of the government’s case” against him. Extortion refers to imposing an action or obtaining something by force or coercion. ![]() Huang was charged with bribery and fraud in 2020 prosecutors consider him a fugitive. Huang, a Chinese citizen who owns a house in San Marino, used to be a frequent visitor to the United States, but has not returned since he learned of the FBI’s corruption investigation in 2018.
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