Disgraced former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar was allowed to delay the start date of his 13-year prison sentence, citing confidential medical information, according to recent court documents.
The 55-year-old former head of the council's Planning and Land Use Committee was sentenced in January for his role in a sprawling federal corruption case that involved him receiving cash payments and other bribes while in office. He was ordered to surrender to federal authorities on April 30.
But in federal court filings this week, Huizar requested that his surrender date be pushed back to August 30. The request, filed under seal, did not publicly disclose the reasons for the request. However, a separate motion to seal the request asked for secrecy because the request “contains private medical information,” Huizar's attorney, Cuahtémoc Ortega, a federal public defender, wrote in court documents.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter ruled that “good cause” was shown in the request and approved the four-month delay to Huizar's delivery date.
The motions said prosecutors did not oppose the request or object to it being filed under seal. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California declined to comment on the request.
In addition to his 13-year sentence, Huizar was ordered in January to pay nearly $444,000 in restitution to the city of Los Angeles and nearly $39,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.
Prosecutors accused Huizar of monetizing his elected office through “pay-to-play” schemes, securing more than $1.5 million in cash bribes, gambling chips, luxury hotel stays, political contributions, prostitution, expensive meals and other financial benefits from developers with projects in their possession. center district.
Before his sentencing, Huizar apologized for his crimes in a letter to the judge, saying he had already paid an enormous price: losing his reputation and his ability to provide for his family, as well as harming the future and mental health of his children. .
His case capped a wide-ranging investigation into corruption in Los Angeles that began in 2015 and involved several City Hall figures, although Walter called Huizar “the single powerful driving force” during his sentencing.
Staff writers Dakota Smith and David Zahniser contributed to this report.
