Free Republic

The former treasurer of the city of South Gate was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison for extracting nearly $2 million in bribes from contractors and sharing the money with family and friends. Albert Robles, 41, was taken into custody immediately after his sentencing. He was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson to pay back more than $600,000 to the city in southeast Los Angeles County. Robles was convicted in July 2005 of five counts of bribery, four counts of money laundering and 21 counts of defrauding citizens of South Gate. Prosecutors depicted the city...

Former South Gate Treasurer Albert Robles was arrested Friday and charged with plundering $12 million over five years from the small working-class city, whose entire annual budget is $28 million. A federal grand jury indicted Robles on 39 counts of money laundering, bribery, wire fraud and public corruption, alleging that he used his elected office and political influence to funnel money from a variety of city projects to family and friends between 1998 and last year. Federal officials estimate that Robles, 39, personally received $1.2 million from the various schemes. Robles' attorney declined to comment Friday, saying he had not...