CHARGES TO STAND AGAINST PROMINENT L.A. ATTORNEY.Byline: Staff and Wire Services Money-laundering charges can stand against a prominent Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. attorney accused of disguising the source of campaign contributions to former Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California , the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. Pierce O'Donnell is accused of reimbursing seven friends and business associates for $25,500 they donated to Hahn's successful 2001 mayoral campaign. O'Donnell had argued that the city's two-year statute of limitations A type of federal or state law that restricts the time within which legal proceedings may be brought. Statutes of limitations, which date back to early Roman Law, are a fundamental part of European and U.S. law. should apply, but the high court concurred with previous rulings that the four-year state statute of limitations was appropriate. Arraignment A criminal proceeding at which the defendant is officially called before a court of competent jurisdiction, informed of the offense charged in the complaint, information, indictment, or other charging document, and asked to enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or as otherwise permitted is set for Aug. 23 on the 26 misdemeanor counts, which could result in a 13-year prison sentence if he is convicted. O'Donnell has previously pleaded not guilty. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley Stephen Lawrence ("Steve") Cooley (born May 1, 1947 in Los Angeles, California) is a veteran prosecutor who was elected as Los Angeles County's 36th District Attorney on November 7, 2000. He was sworn in for his second term on December 6, 2004. issued a statement praising the ruling. ``Today's state Supreme Court decision denying Mr. O'Donnell's request for review means we can finally go to trial in this important case,'' Cooley said. ``The public has a right to know the true source of campaign contributions in city elections. It is the responsibility of this office to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.'' Craig Parsons, a spokesman for O'Donnell, said the case will now proceed with the next step and that they were continuing to meet with prosecutors. ``This was not a decision based on the facts of the case, so we still have preserved our rights for future appeals,'' Parsons said. Charges against six of O'Donnell's seven co-defendants have previously been dismissed. However, his personal trainer personal trainer person n → (persönlicher) Fitnesstrainer m, (persönliche) Fitnesstrainerin f , David Bernstein, remains a defendant in the case. Hahn has denied knowing the source of the donations. |
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