More than 1,000 pages of confidential documents from a federal criminal investigation into Los Angeles

c

ity

a

lawyers

O

The office and the Ministry of Water and Energy will be dissolved, a federal judge has announced

on

Friday.

The Times and Consumer Watchdog requested the documents to better understand the government’s criminal case and whether former City Att.

orne

j

.

Mike Feuer bore some blame for a scandal involving a sham lawsuit and extortion scheme. Fire has long denied any wrongdoing.

In a preliminary ruling, U.S. District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. said. that the documents, consisting mainly of dozens of search warrants filed during the government’s investigation, will be unsealed and personal information redacted.

The names of government officials, along with individuals who are offenders, will not be redacted, Blumenfeld said at a hearing Friday, a blow to prosecutors who had tried to keep the officials’ names hidden from the public.

The Times and Consumer Watchdog are expected to work with the US

a

ttorneys

O

office to prepare the documents for release in the coming weeks.

Much of Friday’s hearing focused

around up

Feuer and whether an FBI agent’s alleged claims that Feuer lied to a grand jury and to the FBI should be redacted.

The FBI agent’s alleged comments, made in an affidavit for a search warrant, were revealed in court by a defendant, Paul Paradis, during his sentencing in November.

Paradis, a former attorney who worked for the federal government, pleaded guilty to accepting a nearly $2.2 million bribe from another attorney who worked on the DWP case and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

Paradis had ingratiated himself with City Hall and befriended top city officials. An outside attorney based in New York, he was hired by Feuer’s office to assist with DWP-related litigation and subsequently secured separate contracts with the DWP.

He later secretly captured senior city officials and was present when armed officers raided the home of DWP chief executive David Wright, who is serving a six-year prison sentence after conspiring to give Paradis a lucrative contract.

Jerry Flanagan, an attorney for Consumer Watchdog and

T

The Times told Blumenfeld that the FBI agents’ comments amounted to an opinion that was not subject to federal rules that require grand jury information to remain confidential. Flanagan also argued that the “cat is out of the bag” because Paradis publicly revealed the alleged comments.

Blumenfeld appeared concerned about protecting the secrecy of the grand jury trial and said he would rule on the issue later.

Feuer has said he had no knowledge of crimes. In a 2022 letter, the U.S

a

ttorneys

O

The office told Feuer that he was not a target in their criminal investigation.

When The Times asked about the FBI last November

‘S

intermediary

‘S

alleged statements, Feuer pointed to the 2022 letter.

Fire told it too

T

he Times last year which he gave to the US

a

lawyers

O

occupied his phone in 2020, but investigators did not search his home or office.

A former state

a

Feuer, an LA lawmaker and city council member, ran for mayor of LA in 2022 but dropped out shortly before the primaries.

Last month,

he finished fourth in the

primarily for the congressional seat

on vacation by Representative Adam B. Schiff.

The 1,400 pages of search warrants and other documents requested by The Times and Consumer Watchdog were issued between 2019 and 2021.

Court documents from prosecutors in the criminal case clearly show that some individuals, including city officials who remain anonymous in the filings, participated in or were aware of various schemes.

Only four people were ultimately charged, and prosecutors said their case was concluded last year.

The criminal prosecution focused

around up

a 2015 class action lawsuit filed by DWP customers over massive errors caused by a new billing system at the utility.

The lawsuit was secretly written by Paradis, who worked for Feuer’s office at the time, who turned the lawsuit over to an outside attorney to file against the city.

The goal, according to prosecutors, was to settle all claims from various DWP customers on terms beneficial to the city.

Prosecutors also uncovered other unethical and illegal schemes, including an illegal payment involving the city attorney’s office.

Blumenfeld said during Friday’s hearing that he expected the name of one person, Julissa Salgueiro, would not appear in the search warrants and other documents.

“Ms. Salgueiro is a typical offender,” Blumenfeld said, describing why her name would not be redacted.

Prosecutors never named or charged Salgueiro.

March

The probate court filings reference a former employee of a Beverly Hills law firm who threatened to make public the city’s collusion lawsuit over the DWP billing errors.

The employee stole or improperly retained documents showing the collusive lawsuit and demanded money for their return, prosecutors said in court documents.

Thomas

as

Peters, a top aide to Feuer, was charged with complicity in racketeering after he was told by unnamed city staff to resolve the employee’s threats, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors have never charged other senior police officers

c

ity

a

ttorneys

O

office.

After pleading guilty, Peters was sentenced to nine months of house arrest and a $50,000 fine.

Salgueiro’s attorney, William Pitman, said

T

He said in the Times on Friday that he “respectfully disagrees with Judge Blumenfeld’s opinion.” His client has never been charged, charged and has no criminal history, he said.

“With regard to the motion to dismiss, Ms. Salguiero was never notified [of the case]Pitman said.