David F Levi

U.S. Atty. David F. Levi, who directed an extensive investigation of political corruption in the capital, has been recommended for appointment as a federal district court judge by Sen. Pete Wilson. Wilson praised Levi for compiling "an outstanding record as a federal prosecutor, successfully pursuing public corruption, drug trafficking and other major criminal enterprises."

U.S. Atty. David F. Levi, who directed an extensive investigation of political corruption in the capital, has been recommended for appointment as a federal district court judge by Sen. Pete Wilson. Wilson praised Levi for compiling "an outstanding record as a federal prosecutor, successfully pursuing public corruption, drug trafficking and other major criminal enterprises."

David F. Levi seems an unlikely crime-buster. Soft-spoken and bespectacled, the Sacramento-based U.S. attorney for the eastern district of California looks to be more scholar than cop. But this son of a college president--and a U.S. attorney general--has engineered a sweeping 3 1/2-year investigation of political corruption that has rocked the state Capitol and led to the indictments of Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) and a former top aide, plus a local sheriff and his former chief deputy.

David F. Levi seems an unlikely crime-buster. Soft-spoken and bespectacled, the Sacramento-based U.S. attorney for the eastern district of California looks to be more scholar than cop. But this son of a college president--and a U.S. attorney general--has engineered a sweeping 3 1/2-year investigation of political corruption that has rocked the state Capitol and led to the indictments of Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) and a former top aide, plus a local sheriff and his former chief deputy.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to cut rates that MediCal pays doctors was dealt another setback Thursday. U.S. District Judge David F. Levi refused to reconsider an earlier order blocking such cuts. Levi had ruled that cutting the provider rates by 5% was illegal because the state could not prove that the effect on access to care for the poor would be minimal. The administration has since proposed cutting those rates by another 10%, hoping that the ruling will be overturned on appeal.

A Sacramento bank robber who said he made two dozen heists in part to finance trips to Raider football games, was sentenced to nearly 10 years in federal prison. Claude Jones, 32, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge David F. Levi, who also fined him $8,593. Federal agents said Jones, arrested in January at a Sacramento motel, was the most prolific bank robber in the city's history. He netted about $25,000 during a 10-week spree.

Attorneys for state Sen. Joseph B. Montoya sought to minimize the significance of a superseding indictment filed against the Whittier Democrat, saying it simply corrected "defects" in the original 10 charges filed against him. In a brief statement, the law firm of Kelton & Artan maintained that the revised indictment "appears to do no more than correct errors contained in the original indictment." The new indictment filed in Sacramento Federal Court by U.S. Atty. David F.

Immigrant rights advocates filed court papers this week to include the large Los Angeles Salvadoran community in a recent court decision requiring the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to waive fees for impoverished Salvadoran refugees applying for temporary haven in the United States. Federal District Court Judge David F.

The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians that hopes to open California's first urban casino isn't legitimately a tribe, card rooms that oppose the competition argued in court papers Friday. The band plans to convert a San Pablo card room into a Las Vegas-style casino across the bay from San Francisco as early as Dec. 7, when the federal government is scheduled to take the card room property into trust for the tribe.

Former Sen. Joseph B. Montoya, facing the possibility of prison for his conviction on seven corruption charges, should not be sentenced to more than a year behind bars, his lawyers argued in documents filed in federal court. Montoya is due to be sentenced Thursday and his attorneys, Michael Sands and Bruce Kelton, contend that federal sentencing guidelines allow for a sentence of no more than six to 12 months in prison.

A federal grand jury Tuesday added four new charges to its original indictment of Sen. Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) and a former top aide, Amiel A. Jaramillo. Montoya will face two charges of bribery in addition to charges of using his office for extortion, racketeering and money laundering that were included in the original indictment filed against the two men last May. Jaramillo has been charged with added counts of extortion and conspiracy.

On the state's 31st day without a budget, these were the key developments in Sacramento: THE PROBLEM Legislators and Gov. Pete Wilson need to bridge a $10.7-billion gap between anticipated revenues and the amount it would take to continue all programs at their current levels, rebuild a reserve for emergencies and erase last year's deficit. The state is short of cash and, without a budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, cannot borrow money to pay its bills.