The Office of Los Angeles County Assessor John R. Noguez at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration in mid 2012. Photo by Randy Economy
Sources: Noguez could be released from an LA County jail cell as early as next week.
By Brian Hews
Jailed Los Angeles County Assessor John R. Noguez could be released on bail and freed from a Downtown jail cell as early as next, Los Cerritos Community Newspaper has learned from at least three different sources who are involved in the case.
Noguez was arrested on October 17, 2012 on dozens of felony charges including accepting bribes, forgery and money laundering in what former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley called the “biggest public corruption case in the last 40 years.”
This past Monday marked the fourth month that Noguez has been held behind bars. He is a former Mayor and Councilman in Huntington Park.
Noguez is still collecting his nearly $190,000 annual salary and is legally still the Assessor of Los Angeles County even though he has been on a paid “leave of absence” since last summer.
Sources who are involved in the day to day dealings with the complex case tell LCCN that the Assessor is in “the final stages” of successfully raising $1.16 million in bond funds that will “ensure his release in the coming days.”
LCCN has confirmed that one longtime friend of Noguez has pledged more than $600,000 towards a bail fund that has been established to help secure his freedom.
In addition more than 35 other longtime friends of Noguez have contributed towards his bail. LCCN is in the process of obtaining the list of those people who have contributed towards the bond.
Members of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, who are prosecuting the case against Noguez and at least three others who have previously been arrested have been reviewing “each and every donation” that has been given to secure Noguez bail amount.
Max Huntsman, a prosecutor in the DA’s Office said in an interview this week that his office is “making sure that every dollar that is being raised to secure bail for Mr. Noguez is from legitimate and legal sources.”
“We need to make sure that anyone who is involved in contributing money to secure his release is not a convicted felon and or someone who has a current warrant out for their arrest,” Huntsman told LCCN on Tuesday.
If convicted on all counts, Noguez could face as long as 20 to 30 years in jail for his alleged crimes.
Huntsman said that the “investigation is still ongoing and that additional arrests could still take place.”
