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Bell Corruption Hearing Ends

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — Testimony has wrapped up in the preliminary hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to try six current and former Bell officials on charges of looting the blue-collar suburb.

The six Bell city employees are being charged with misappropriation of public funds.

Testimony from two defense witnesses ended Wednesday morning. After a short break, attorneys are expected to argue various motions, and LA Superior Court Judge Henry Hall could issue a ruling by Wednesday afternoon.

A preliminary hearing for two additional defendants, disgraced ex-City Manager Robert Rizzo, and his former assistant, will begin Tuesday.

The case revolves around huge salaries that prosecutors say were obtained illegally by officials of the community in which one in six residents lives below the poverty line.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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