Capping years of investigation, Los Angeles County prosecutors filed public corruption charges Wednesday accusing Vernon's longtime mayor of voter fraud and the former city administrator of using public funds for personal purposes.
The indictments come after decades of complaints by critics that the small, quirky industrial city a few miles south of downtown Los Angeles is operated as a fiefdom by city leaders, including Mayor Leonis Malburg, who has been in office for more than 50 years and is the grandson of Vernon's founder.
Most of the homes in Vernon are owned by Malburg, other council members and the city, and a majority of the 91 residents are city employees.
Prosecutors charge that Malburg, 77, has been fraudulently voting in Vernon elections for decades as he allegedly lives in his grandfather's former estate in Hancock Park, 20 miles away.
The mayor's alleged voter fraud dates to at least 1967, according to a criminal complaint.
The mayor's wife, Dominica Malburg, and their son John, were also accused of illegal voting in Vernon.
"These charges go to the heart of the problem in Vernon, where they're trying to maintain the status quo and control the pool of voters," said David Demerjian, the head of the district attorney's Public Integrity Unit. "If they were voting, they should be voting in L.A., not Vernon."
The district attorney's office also charges that longtime city administrator Bruce Malkenhorst Sr., 71, spent $60,000 in city money for personal use, including massages, golf outings, meals and political contributions.
Malkenhorst was the highest paid municipal official in the state before stepping down two years ago, earning more than $600,000 a year for running a city with fewer than 100 residents. The city also paid for a limousine to transport him.
Prosecutors alleged that Malkenhorst regularly reimbursed himself for expenses -- including paying off his personal Visa credit card -- without seeking approval from anyone, including the City Council.
"I can't come up with a reason for why massages would be paid for with public money," said Max Huntsman, a deputy district attorney leading the case.
The charges mark the biggest challenge in decades to the reign of Malburg and his allies. Prosecutors say their investigation is continuing.
Earlier this year, the city hired gun-toting private investigators to follow challengers seeking to unseat Malburg and the other council incumbents.
