For years, Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee refused to publicly discuss his fateful trip to Las Vegas in 2017 with a trio of Mitch Englishmen and businessmen of the time.
The trip led to an FBI investigation in England, a member of the city council at the time, where he accepted a cash envelope from one of the businessmen in the casino bathroom, and later admitted to lying to federal agents.
Last week in court to address allegations from the LA Ethics Committee, Lee finally broke his silence, revealing details of the high-rolling trip, claiming that he paid his share.
There was a hotel room in his composed Aria – a standard room, not a suite, he said. There was a nightclub in Hakkasan, and the hostess paraded $8,000 liquor, so he drank whiskey and danced. And then there was a casino where he played blackjack after he lost $1,000 at the Baccarat table.
Lee, then the English chief of staff, has repeatedly denied accepting gifts in violation of urban ethics law. Under the grill by Lee’s enforcement officer, Lee explained that he would stuff $300 into the pocket of one of the businessmen, Andy Wang, to cover his share in the nightclub. At dinner that night, he said he paid for his drink.
“I think I made a sincere effort to pay back what I had spent that night,” Lee testified.
In 2023, the Ethics Committee accused Lee of occupying the former England seat representing the Northwest San Fernando Valley of the country for accepting “multiple gifts” in violation of ethics laws, including businessmen traveling to Vegas, free hotel rooms, poker chips and food.
The businessman and developer were not named in the complaint, but details show that one was King and the other was Christopher Pack, both of whom testified as witnesses.
The committee also accused Lee of assisting the Englishman with a check in repaying the businessman who composed the hotel room.
Federal prosecutors have never criminally charged Lee, and he said he is unaware of fraud by the English.
At the time, city officials, including senior council aides, were able to accept gifts worth between $50 and $470 from a single source, according to city and state law, but had to disclose them. They were not permitted to accept gifts of more than $470 from a single source.
The Ethics Committee alleges that Lee violated both provisions.
Lee’s attorney denying the claim has repeatedly tried to block the committee’s case, claiming the restrictions law has expired.
The witness’s testimony concludes last week, with administrative law judge Ji Ran Zhan expected to recommend any ethical violations committed by Lee.
The Ethics Committee’s committee will then vote on whether a violation occurred and what should be the case if there were financial penalties.
In 2023, the Englishman agreed to pay $79,830 to resolve a similar ethics committee case.
At last week’s hearing, city enforcement officer and lawyer Marian Thompson tried to raise doubt about Lee’s version of the event. She focused on his claim that he joined the group at an expensive Chinese restaurant in Blossom, but did not eat as he arrived late.
She read bills aloud, including nearly $2,500 dinners, KOBE Beef, Maine Lobster, Peking Duck, and Sea Bass. Certainly, did Lee, who previously described herself as a “meat and potato” guy, like Kobe beef? Thompson asked.
Lee said he only tried the bird’s nest soup. He explained that he spooned someone else’s bowl and said, “It’s definitely not.”
Lee admitted to drinking at a restaurant and gave someone $100 to cover the tab.
According to the 2020 federal complaint of the Englishman, “City Staff B” received the same perks as the Englishman during his trip to Vegas. Its staff is widely assumed to be Lee, and called for the newly elected councillor to step down. Since then, questions about the Vegas trip have beaten Lee, but he easily won reelection in 2024.
The Englishman was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison. In his judicial agreement, he admitted to repeatedly lying to federal agents, receiving a total of $15,000 in cash. $10,000 in a casino bathroom in Las Vegas, plus $5,000 in a Morongo Casino Resort & Spa for unnamed businessmen.
The man, Wang, ran a company that sold cabinets and home technology systems, sought relationships with real estate developers and others to increase business opportunities in the city.
In testimony last week, Lee said he followed the Urban Ethics Act while traveling to Vegas. At the Aria Hotel Casino, the British showed him the Lee Poker chips the king gave him, Lee testified.
“I told him right away he needed to get those chips back to Andy,” Lee said.
Lee also said he gave the English a blank check, realizing that the British would refund the king who made Lee’s room.
However, in the declaration of the Ethics Case, the Englishman wrote that neither he nor Lee had refunded the King for any of the gifts he received at the ARIA, such as rooms, food, drinks.
“While in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lee didn’t give me a check to refund the king,” the Englishman added.
Thompson asked Lee about England’s statement.
“He lied before,” replied Lee.
In addition to Wang, two other people – Michael Bai, a lobbyist who previously worked at City Hall, and Pak, Koratown’s developer, have come on a trip to Vegas. Bye testified last week as a witness.
Lee and the Englishman gave the king a separate check for $442 that year on September 14th of that year. The Ethics Committee accused Lee and the Englishman of restraining the check on August 4 before the FBI was interviewed.
Lee said at the hearing that he gave the Englishman a check on August 4th after he said the Englishman had lost what he had previously.
At Hakkasan Club, Wang spent $24,000 on bottle service, while Pak spent another $10,000.
Lee was worth $5,666.67, according to committee estimates.
However, Lee’s lawyer, Brian Hildres, challenged the argument. That night, Lee and Puck both testified.
Lee said he only drank two or four drinks, and many suggested that he drank from the bottle.
Addressing questions about the casino, Lee admitted to accepting $1,000 in King’s poker chips and said he thought he was playing for King. Lee said he would give the king a prize.
However, Lee testified that he didn’t know how to play Baccarat and warned the king that losing all the chips was not going well.
During a question by Hildres, Lee said he had withdrawn a total of $1,500 from the Vegas ATM and had three withdrawals written in the bank’s statement over two days.
Lee testified, “I want to make sure I have my own money and pay for everything I was involved in.”
Thompson explained the sight of a nightclub hostess taking out a bottle and pursued an advisor.
“Did you get VIP treatment?” Thompson asked.
“I’ve never had treatment before,” replied Lee.
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