Los Angeles District 9 Councilmember Curren Price pleaded not guilty to embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest charges during an arraignment Monday in relation to a June 2023 lawsuit alleging that he engaged in a pay-to-play scheme and embezzled funds from the city.

Prosecutors allege that developers paid his wife’s consulting agency more than $150,000 before he voted for projects which benefitted the developers — which he did not disclose. Price is also accused of using city funds to pay around $33,800 in medical coverage for a woman other than his wife.

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this.form = document.getElementById(’ema_signup_form’);
this.submit = document.getElementById(‘webform_submit_button’);
this.callbackName = ‘jsonp_callback_’ + Math.round(100000 * Math.random());
this.validEmail = /.+@.+..+/
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this.revalidateOnChange();
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this.emailValidation();
this.fieldAndListValidation();
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emailValidation: function() {
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this.htmlEmbedDropdownValidation(field);
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His attorneys argue that the conflict-of-interest allegations did not amount to a crime, the embezzlement charges are barred by the statute of limitations and the perjury charges “do not constitute a public offense” according to a City News Service report.

In response, Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins wrote that the defense’s argument was “meritless,” and that charges were not barred by the statute of limitations. Price will return to court March 1 to set a hearing assessing whether there is enough evidence for a trial.