Alarcon, Wife Ordered To Stand Trial On Perjury, Voter Fraud Charges
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife were ordered to stand trial on perjury and voter fraud charges on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar de Longoria ordered Alarcon and wife Flora Montes de Oca after determining there was sufficent evidence to proceed to trial on charges stemming from allegations that the couple did not live in a Panorama City home Alarcon claimed as his residence.
KNX 1070's John Brooks reports prosecutors contend the Alarcons lived in Sun Valley instead of Council District 7, which includes Panorama City.
Podcast
Alarcon faces 17 felony criminal counts, while his wife is charged with six counts.
Charges were refiled in May after Judge Kathleen Kennedy dismissed a similar case brought by prosecutors against Alarcon, which includes two felony counts of filing a false declaration of candidacy in December 2006 and November 2008; seven felony counts of fraudulent voting in elections in 2007, 2008 and 2009; and nine counts of perjury, including three for allegedly filing false driver's license applications.
Earlier this month, Alarcon defended a proposal to allow illegal immigrants to use city-issued library cards as official identification and debit cards.
The Alarcons are due back in court Oct. 18 for arraignment.
(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
