The former administrator of a small Los Angeles County city who made national headlines for receiving almost $800,000 in annual compensation has pleaded no contest to criminal charges and faces to the longest prison term imposed locally for public corruption in more than a decade.
Robert Rizzo, former city manager of Bell, Calif., was to go on trial on Monday but entered his plea on Thursday during a hearing his attorneys had requested. His plea, which was not subject to a deal with prosecutors, was to 69 counts related to defrauding the city of millions of dollars, including for writing compensation contracts for himself that weren’t approved by the city council.
