"Former L.A. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas Receives 3-Year Prison Sentence"

Mark Ridley-Thomas, a prominent Los Angeles County politician, has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for accepting benefits for his son from the University of Southern California (USC) while voting in support of county contracts that favored USC. Ridley-Thomas, who has held various political offices for the past 30 years, was convicted on charges of conspiracy, bribery, and fraud. He is the third L.A. city councilman to face federal charges in recent years. Ridley-Thomas' defense attorneys requested a probationary sentence, but the court imposed prison time. He is appealing the conviction.