Jurors urged to acquit former L.A. official in corruption probe
A defense attorney urged jurors Wednesday to acquit a former Los Angeles city commissioner accused of accepting $100,000 in bribes and other corruption charges, describing him as a victim of a "steamroller of an investigation."
Prosecutors contend that Leland Wong, once known as a power broker in City Hall, pocketed monthly payments of $5,000 deposited into an off-shore bank account by a Taiwanese shipping firm that was hoping to negotiate a new lease at the Port of Los Angeles.
But defense attorney Janet I. Levine said in closing arguments that the case against her client was built on "an illusion of evidence" and that Wong was up front about his consulting work for the Taipei-based firm, Evergreen Marine Corp.
Levine accused county and federal authorities of unfairly targeting Wong during a lengthy investigation of so-called "pay-to-play" corruption allegations surrounding the administration of Mayor James K. Hahn.
Wong, 51, was the only government official ever charged in connection with the probe, which began in late 2003.
"This case has never been about real crime," Levine told jurors in a courtroom crowded with Wong's family and friends. "This case is -- and has always been -- about finding someone to blame and something to blame him for to satisfy the questions of how government operates . . . so that business can go on as usual."
Levine noted that Wong had filed paperwork with the city in 2002 disclosing his consulting arrangement with Evergeen. And she said that he brought company executives into City Hall and introduced them to other consultants.
"He couldn't have been any clearer about what he was doing unless he had worn a hat or a T-shirt and a jacket that said Evergreen Marine on it," Levine said.
But prosecutors asked jurors to ignore such arguments, saying there was ample evidence that Wong "was on the take."
Officials with Evergreen, a subsidiary of Evergreen Group, bribed Wong to help the company secure better terms for its lease at the port and additional space, prosecutors said. Wong was a member of the Airport Commission and later the city's Water and Power Commission when the payments were made.
"They were paying for an inside man," said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonlyn Callahan. "It goes back to the old saying, 'A man can't serve two masters.' "
