Valley Lobbyist Charged With Bribery in Huizar Corruption Case

Federal prosecutors Tuesday charged an L.A. City Hall lobbyist from the Valley with bribery. Morris Roland Goldman, a.k.a. “Morrie,” 57, of Porter Ranch, is accused of one count of conspiring to commit bribery and honest services mail fraud. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Goldman allegedly participated in a scheme in which he brokered deals where a developer client agreed to make $50,000 in political donations in exchange for former City Councilman Jose Huizar’s official actions to benefit the developer’s project. In a plea agreement filed in United States District Court, Goldman agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense and cooperate in the government’s ongoing investigation. According to court documents, Goldman was a lobbyist for “Company M,” which had a pending development in the city’s Arts District. Goldman was one of several people who established two political action committees, one of which was a front created to primarily benefit the City Council campaign of Huizar’s relative, known in court papers as “Relative A-1.” Upon being elected, Relative A-1 would help Huizar and his associates “maintain a political stronghold in the city,” according to court documents. In his plea agreement, Goldman admits that, in September 2018, he had agreed with Huizar and a Company M executive that the developer would contribute $50,000 to the PAC established to support Relative A-1’s political campaign. In exchange, Huizar would vote against a union appeal of Company M’s project in the Planning and Land Use Management Committee, which Huizar chaired at the time. Court documents also outline an extensive list of how Goldman secured commitments from Company M to contribute to PACs at Huizar’s request even before the September 2018 agreement. Between November 2016 and March 2017, Company M contributed $50,000 to a PAC developed as a vehicle to benefit Huizar’s political causes. In June 2018, Goldman secured a $25,000 contribution from Company M toward the PAC designed to elect Relative A-1, as well as an additional $25,000 contribution. Company M’s project ultimately received significant benefits in the city approval process. For example, the City Council’s approval of Company M’s request to reduce the project’s availability of low-income housing – despite its proximity to Skid Row – netted the company approximately $14 million in savings, according to court papers. On Aug. 3, Huizar pleaded not guilty to charges in a 34-count racketeering indictment that alleges he led a criminal enterprise designed to enrich himself and his associates. Huizar’s trial has been scheduled for June 22. To date, Goldman has become the sixth defendant to be charged in Operation “Casino Loyale,” an FBI investigation into Los Angeles City Hall corruption. Four defendants, including former L.A. City Council member and San Fernando Valley representative Mitchell Englander, have pleaded guilty. Goldman will make his first court appearance September 23. Upon pleading guilty to the conspiracy count, Goldman will face a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.