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Posted: November 10, 2022 03:26h.
Last updated: Nov 10, 2022 03:43h.
A federal jury in Los Angeles on Wednesday began hearing a $1 million bribery case involving wealthy Chinese real estate developer and Los Angeles City Council member Jose Heuser.
Wei Fan, the president of Shenzhen New World Group, has been accused of bombarding Huisar with kickbacks in the form of gambling trips to Las Vegas and other perks. Wei also provided $600,000 as loan collateral to help Huizar settle the sexual harassment allegations, prosecutors say.
In return, Wei hoped city officials would look favorably on his plans to redevelop the LA Grand Hotel Downtown, they claim. They wanted to build a new 77-story hotel tower that would be a skyscraper.
At the time, Huizar was chairman of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, representing Council 14 districts, including downtown Los Angeles.
runaway millionaire
Wei is being tried in absentia. The billionaire left the United States for China in late 2018 when the FBI took the heat to Huizar.Wei is considered a fugitive, prosecutors said.
Huizar is scheduled to stand trial on racketeering charges early next year. Last June, another man, Dae Yong Lee, a Los Angeles real estate developer, was found guilty of bribing an alderman with $500,000 to gain approval for another building project.
According to court documents, Huizar and Wei went to Las Vegas casinos together eight times between 2014 and 2016. Each time, Wei tipped her Huizar a minimum of $10,000 to play.
During a visit to the Palazzo’s VIP room, staff identified Huizar as a politician from Los Angeles. They also noticed that he had cashed in tens of thousands of dollars in chips that Wei had purchased, flagging them as suspicious.
Anti-money laundering regulations require casinos to subject politicians to special scrutiny as they are “politically exposed persons” (PEPs). PEPs are more likely to engage in bribery and corruption, and therefore have a higher risk of money laundering.
Palazzo staff asked Heuser to sign a document confirming that he was gambling with his own money. When he refused, they called the FBI.
redistribution of wealth
Shenzhen New World Attorney Craig Wilk did not deny that Weisar benefited heavily from Wei, but argued that it was simple generosity. Wilke argued that they were forced to share the profits with the other.
Wilke said in closing arguments that prosecutors failed to provide evidence that Huizar did anything to facilitate the LA Grand redevelopment project.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Jamali Buxton told jurors Wei’s absence said a lot.
“Ask yourself when you return to the jury room with Wei Huang,” he advised. “Wei Huang is in China. He didn’t want to see you face to face, so he’s in China.”
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