Criminal Charges Against Bell California City Leaders
Hardly has the week began that eight in number of the Bell County officials were arrested, under the accusation that they have misappropriated $5.5 million in public funds.
Robert Rizzo, the former Bell City Manager was arrested in the case of his big salary that leads to the outrage of people, who eventually started the investigation. Together with Bell there were arrested people such as Angela Spaccia; Mayor Oscar Hernandez; George Mirabal; Teresa Jacobo and Luis Artiga and as well, George Cole and Victor Bello.
The District Attorney Steve Cooley believes that they used the city’s tax dollars as their own “bank” from where to withdraw money. He as well stated that “council members, who earned salaries of nearly $100,000, received $1.2 million for “phantom meetings” — many which never occurred or lasted only a minute or two.”
Out of them, Rizo is charged with 53 counts, including the fact that in 2008 when he made some contracts. Apart from this fact he is as well accused of the fact that he has given no more and no less than $1.9 million as loans to him and to other people he was working with.
Another person that was taken into sight by the Bell’s officials was the Police Chief Randy Adams, due to the fact that he earned $457,000, but eventually he was released as being paid some big amounts was never a crime and nor will it be considered as one; but still, the investigation is ongoing.
The person that got the highest bail is Rizo, arriving at $3.2 million, while the bail for the others ranges between $130,000 and $377,500. Rizo, was escorted this morning out of his luxury home in Huntington Beach. While some of the neighbors were curious to see what was going on, they saw that actually the businessman did not want o open the door; thing at which people decided to break the door and enter in. “They broke the door down,” said the neighbor, who only gave his name as Jose. “They knocked down the door and they brought him out in cuffs.”
There are many possibilities that the authorities’ think of and put in practice as they think of what Rizo was exactly doing. There may have been money laundering, theft of public funds, fraud etc. the HR and they should be let known.
Despite of the vahiculations that have been so far, as it is in its last mood, you will as well be able to create your own opinion regarding this issue. But, the essential thing is that big amount of money is given for some time now without any explanation. “Given the sheer volume of charges levied against former Bell Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo and former Assistant CAO Angela Spaccia by the district attorney, it is clear that Rizzo and Spaccia were at the root of the cancer that has afflicted the City of Bell. Also, it is a sad day for Bell that four current and two former members of the council also have been arrested. I am prepared to double down our efforts to continue to restore order, establish good government reforms, and to ensure that Bell is providing needed services to its residents,” said Pedro Carrillo, interim city manager.
At the moment there are many unpaid loans that are trying to be discovered.
