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Aug 28, 2023 · Sebastian Ridley-Thomas had served in the state Assembly but resigned abruptly in late 2017 while facing a confidential sexual harassment investigation.
- The Allegations
- The Connection to USC
- Other Issues Raised at Trial
- The Defense
- MRT's Long L.A. Political History
Prosecutors said Ridley-Thomas engaged in a conspiracy with Marilyn Flynn, dean of USC’s School of Social Work, in which he supported a lucrative county contract and two other potentially beneficial initiatives for the school in exchange for the dean providing his son with admission, a scholarship and a faculty job. Prosecutors argued that as part ...
Dotson said Ridley-Thomas was "constantly dangling county carrots to Marilyn Flynn” at a time when the School of Social Work was in financial trouble. The prosecutor referred to one email Flynn wrote to a colleague regarding potential county money for the university in which Flynn wrote, ”I’m holding my breath. MRT is really trying to deliver here....
Dotson also spent considerable time discussing sexual harassment allegations that purportedly contributed to Sebastian Ridley-Thomas’ decision to resign from the state assembly in 2017 — a move she said provided his father with a motive to help his son financially. In her closing argument, defense attorney Daralyn Durie pointed out that almost all ...
In testimony as defense witnesses, County Supervisor Janice Hahn and former Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said Ridley-Thomas did not try to cajole them to support the contracts in question. With regard to the sexual harassment allegations against Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, Durie reminded the jury that Mark Ridley-Thomas “is certainly not on trial for anyth...
Ridley-Thomas, 68, was born and raised in L.A. and was president of the city’s chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for a decade until 1991, when he was elected to the City Council. He served until 2002, representing the 8th District, which covers large swaths of South L.A. He served in the state legislature for six years before ...
- Frank Stoltze
- Civics & Democracy Correspondent
Mar 24, 2023 · Prosecutors situated the sexual harassment allegations against Sebastian Ridley-Thomas — and the need to keep the brewing scandal quiet — as a driving force in the conspiracy.
- matt.hamilton@latimes.com
- Staff Writer
Mar 31, 2023 · A plan marked by “winks and nods” between Flynn and Ridley-Thomas turned to “pushes and shoves” in December 2017, prosecutors said. That month, a sexual harassment investigation into ...
- matt.hamilton@latimes.com
- Staff Writer
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Mar 30, 2023 · In December 2017, citing health issues, Ridley-Thomas’ son abruptly resigned from the California State Assembly. At the time of his resignation, Ridley-Thomas’ son was the subject of a sexual harassment investigation in the Assembly, a fact not known by either USC or the public.
At the time of the alleged scheme, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas was serving in the state Assembly, but he was facing sexual harassment allegations and was “significantly in debt,” according to ...
Oct 13, 2021 · The indictment outlines a scheme in 2017 and 2018 in which then-supervisor Ridley-Thomas sought benefits from Flynn and university officials to benefit his close relative – described as “MRT Relative 1” in the indictment – at a time when MRT Relative 1 was the subject of an internal sexual harassment investigation in the California ...
