The former chief of staff to Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, Ted Loza, will spend eight months in prison, another four on supervised release, and 150 hours doing community service.
Loza, who pleaded guilty to taking $1,500 in gratuities in connection with legislation on the taxi industry, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court, four months after [...]
After a hearing in which Ted Loza, former staffer to Councilmember Jim Graham, pled guilty to two charges related to accepting gratuities and one charge related to making a false statement, his lawyer Pleasant S. Brodnax wanted to make something clear: "This case is not about bribery, it's not about conspiracy, it's not [...]
Maybe the race for D.C. Council's Ward One seat will actually be a real race. Last night, Bryan Weaver received the D.C. Latino Caucus endorsement over incumbent Councilmember Jim Graham and challenger Jeff Smith. Weaver notes in his press release on the big win:
"Last night at its endorsement meeting, the D.C. Latino Caucus overwhelmingly [...]
LL cycled down through the drizzle to the District's federal courthouse this morning to catch a hearing in the Ted Loza bribery case.
Things have been rather quiet in the prosecution of Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham's former chief of staff, and LL was hoping prosecutors might be filing the new charges they've indicated that might [...]
The year started off on the Mall
(If you weren't a purple tic thrall)
We stood there and shivered
As Barry delivered
A moment for years to recall
Come summer, nine people were lost
When train control signals got crossed
Commutes were enraging
Since Metro is aging
But fixing it comes at great cost
A self-proclaimed pol "who is moral"
Turned stalkerish after a quarrel
It got [...]
"You know I need it. That's why I take it, you know."
—Ted Loza, chief of staff to Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, June 19
Councilmember Jim Graham has generally kept quiet on the taxicab bribery case that has so far snared his right-hand-man Ted Loza. But at a recent Kalorama Citizens Association meeting, Graham apparently couldn't help himself. According to sources in attendance, he blasted federal law enforcement for busting Loza.
Recalls one source who was there: “[Graham] basically said [...]
By now, District residents have been well versed on the heroics of Taxicab Commission Chairperson Leon Swain Jr. in the bribery scandal, and the alleged failings of Jim Graham's Chief of Staff Ted Loza. But the majority of the defendants aren't well known.
They are parking lot attendants, gas station workers, people who struggle in the [...]
UPDATE, 6:50 P.M.: LL here. This much is clear: Leon Swain is an amazing informant.
On Sept. 25, he wore a recording device, along with FBI agent John McNair, while meeting with alleged bribery ringleader Yitbarek Syume. The tape was played today in Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson's courtroom during a hearing on whether Syume should [...]
Right now, Abdulaziz Kamus has a lot on his mind. First, there's the fact that he's a central figure in the Ted Loza bribery case (Kamus allegedly joined the Fed probe, wired up, and paid Jim Graham's Right Hand Man $1500 in bribes). Today, we learned that key players in the bribery scandal discussed killing [...]
Details are still fairly scarce as the federal taxicab investigation develops, but this much is clear: Most of those targeted are members of the East African community.
First came revelations that the man who bribed D.C. Council aide Ted Loza was none other than Abdul Kamus (pictured), a man this paper once hailed as the "de [...]
Today, 27 individuals have been arrested in connection with the growing taxicab bribery scandal. Moments ago, two indictments were unsealed. You can read them here and here. Nearly 30 individuals have been indicted in federal court.
One indictment concerns three individuals: Yitbarek Syume, Berhane Leghese, and Amanuel Ghirmazion. They have been charged with bribing and conspiring [...]
WaPo is reporting that more than two dozen individuals have been indicted in the ever-expanding taxi-cab bribery scandal:
"The suspects are cab drivers or others with financial ties to the industry, said the sources, who requested anonymity because the case is actively under investigation. The indictments remained sealed on Friday.
FBI agents and local police, the sources [...]
Pictures sent in by a helpful reader:
All this week Councilmember Jim Graham has strayed from his usual m.o.: He's been press shy. He has stayed relatively quiet, refusing to answer questions about his indicted chief of staff Ted Loza and the various fallout issues that have come up.
Last night, Graham played hard to get with us over this story concerning his [...]
