Moving closer to ending an ill-fated bribery-and-kickback case stemming from rave concerts at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a former stadium events manager and a rave promoter both pleaded no contest Friday to conflict of interest, but only one is expected to serve jail time.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 23, when he is expected to be placed on three years probation, ordered to serve six months in jail and pay $500,000 in restitution.
Rave promoter Reza Gerami, 41, the owner of Go Ventures Inc., pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and was immediately sentenced to three years probation, with no jail time. He was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution.
The pleas came one day after Pasquale Rotella, the 41-year-old founder of Insomniac Events, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor conflict of interest and was sentenced to three years probation. He was ordered to make a $150,000 payment to the Los Angeles County Treasurer/Tax Collector within 45 days.
The no-contest pleas to a relatively minor offense were a stark contrast from the much-publicized allegations of felony conspiracy and bribery that began the criminal case. Prosecutors contended the defendants were part of a scheme in which DeStefano provided the rave promoters with access to the Coliseum and low rates in exchange for more than $1.8 million in kickbacks from Rotella and Gerami.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy has been critical of prosecutors’ handling of the case, saying at a recent hearing that they were “just tripping over your feet and falling on your faces.”
In court Friday, Kennedy expressed concern over the management of the Coliseum, saying she was concerned a similar case could arise because “there are no checks and balances, which is why what happened here took place.”
“Unless someone shines a light … there’s nobody in charge,” she said. “Things go awry and that’s what happened here.”
Speaking as a county resident, she said she hopes “that something changes in the future and there isn’t a case like this again.”
Patrick Lynch, a former Coliseum general manager who was also indicted, pleaded guilty in March 2012 to a felony conflict of interest charge. He is awaiting sentencing in November.
Former technical manager Leopold Caudillo, 46, is awaiting trial. He is due back in court Nov. 18 for a pretrial hearing.
Janitorial contractor Antonio (Tony) Estrada, 76, was also named in the grand jury indictment. Authorities say he is a fugitive.
— City News Service