Leland Wong, a power broker in former Mayor James K. Hahn's administration, surrendered Wednesday to face a bribery and conflict-of-interest indictment that makes him the only public official accused of crimes in a three-year probe of alleged "pay to play" contracting practices in Los Angeles.
Wong was accused by the Los Angeles County Grand Jury on Tuesday of accepting $100,000 in bribes from Ren-Gung Shyu, executive vice president of Taipei-based Evergreen Marine Corp., to get the giant Taiwanese shipping line more space at the Port of Los Angeles. Shyu, whose testimony remains under seal, was not accused of a crime.
Wong's indictment marks a milestone for prosecutors. A longtime figure in the city's elite governing class, he served as a powerful commissioner during three mayoral administrations. His case is the first in which prosecutors have filed charges involving alleged influence-peddling by a Hahn appointee.
But the charges are not the ones prosecutors set out to explore -- trading city contracts for campaign contributions. News reports about such alleged practices by other mayoral appointees dogged Hahn during his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 2005 but resulted in no indictments. Hahn has not been accused of a crime.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said in a statement that he regarded the grand jury's indictment as "a significant step in rooting out corrupt public officials and exposing corruption within public institutions."
But Janet Levine, an attorney for Wong, said her client was the victim of a politically motivated "witch hunt."
After a three-year, joint federal-state probe, "They needed to point to someone," she said. "We expect to show they pointed to the wrong person."
No further indictments are imminent, according to people familiar with the corruption probe, who spoke on condition that they not be identified because the investigation is continuing and subject to grand jury secrecy rules. One person said no more indictments are likely unless Wong cooperates with the government.
According to the indictment, Wong began receiving bribes in 2002. At that time, the mayor's office was trying to accommodate Evergreen's request for more space at the port and was pushing an Evergreen affiliate, EVA Airways, to move its cargo operation from busy Los Angeles International Airport to underused Ontario International.
