BRIBED EXEC FINED, PUT ON PROBATION.

Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer

Prominent real estate development executive John Archibald was sentenced Wednesday to five years' probation and ordered to pay nearly $200,000 in fines and restitution for taking a bribe from a subcontractor and filing a false tax return.

Superior Court Judge David Horwitz also ordered Archibald to spend 15 weekends in the Pasadena Jail.

Archibald, 56, of Simi Valley, who since 1998 had been vice president of construction operations at Casden Properties Inc., pleaded guilty in August to felony charges of taking more than $100,000 from subcontractors in exchange for awarding them work on the $550 million Park La Brea apartment project, prosecutors said.

Archibald's Los Angeles attorney, Michael Fitzgerald, said he had no comment on the sentencing. Casden Properties spokeswoman Barbara Casey would only say that Archibald is no longer an employee at the firm.

Archibald's financial penalties include a $10,000 fine, and he was ordered to pay $155,000 restitution to Casden Properties and $25,780 to the state Franchise Tax Board.

``District Attorney Steve Cooley and his office are very committed to prosecuting persons who commit acts of corruption, such as bribery and tax evasion,'' said Juliet Schmidt, deputy district attorney in the Public Integrity Division.

Archibald's sentencing comes as investigators pursue allegations of corruption at City Hall, including accusations that former Mayor James Hahn's administration engaged in ``pay-to-play'' contracting practices.

In the latest revelations, Troy Edwards, a former deputy mayor in the Hahn administration, said he indulged in sexual services paid for by a city commissioner who prosecutors said was seeking a contract for a client, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

About two years ago, Archibald and more than a dozen Casden subcontractors pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of laundering more than $200,000 in contributions to candidates in the 2001 city elections.

Officials said it was during that original inquiry that investigators discovered that Casden Properties' subcontractors made deposits to Archibald's personal credit card account between November 1999 and December 2001.

Prosecutors said Archibald accepted the money from subcontractors in exchange for letting them work on Park La Brea -- a 1,500-unit, mid-range- to-luxury apartment complex near Los Angeles' landmark Farmers Market.

The Franchise Tax Board also reviewed Archibald's tax returns for 2000 and 2001 and found that he had not reported the deposits on his tax returns, Schmidt said.

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

[phone]