Former L.A. Councilman|and Wife Convicted

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Former Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife were convicted Wednesday of lying about where they lived so that Alarcon could run for his seat in L.A.'s 7th City Council District.

A jury found Alarcon, 60, guilty of one count of perjury on a declaration to run for office and three counts of fraudulently voting in elections for 2007 and 2009, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

Alarcon faces up to 6 years in prison and a lifetime ban from running for elective office.

Alarcon's wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon, 49, was convicted of perjury for declaring on a provisional voting ballot that she lived at the address on Nordhoff Street on in Panorama City. She could be sentenced to up to 5 years in state prison, and could be barred from running for office.

A jury of seven women and five men also convicted her of two counts of fraudulently voting in elections in 2009, the District Attorney's Office said.

The Alarcons tried claimed that their Panorama home was under renovation and was their permanent residence, according to the L.A. Times.

Carolyn Jackson, a retired representative of the city Department of Transportation, testified that Alarcon had acknowledged to her that his home wasn't in the district, just months after he was elected in 2007, according to the Times.

Jackson said that Alarcon had told her: "You know, I wasn't even living in the district when I was elected. ... I am now, of course."

Superior Court Judge George Lomeli will sentence the Alarcons on Sept. 10.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit