Former Los Angeles County councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas filed an appeals brief Thursday with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn convictions in a USC bribery scandal.
Opening statements for the ousted politician were heard Thursday. Ridley-Thomas, 69, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison in August for conspiring with former USC School of Social Work Dean Marilyn Flynn. He allegedly received benefits for his son, Sebastian, in exchange for voting for contracts in favor of USC.
The former politician was found guilty of conspiracy, bribery and five counts of honest-services fraud. He was acquitted of 12 other charges related to his son’s admission, scholarship and professorship at USC. Flynn pleaded guilty to bribery and was ordered to pay a $150,000 fine.
Ridley-Thomas’ lawyers argued that the 9th Circuit should either reverse the convictions or grant a new trial. During the opening briefs, they claimed that prosecutors defined bribery in a way that would jeopardize standard political practices. The lawyers also argued that the jury-selection process was flawed because government attorneys allegedly excluded two Black women from serving on the jury.
Arguments from a trio of 9th Court appellate judges are expected in late summer or fall, appeal team officials said.