/Disgraced Los Angeles lawmaker agrees to plead guilty to lying about improper gifts

Disgraced Los Angeles lawmaker agrees to plead guilty to lying about improper gifts

A former Los Angeles city councilman agreed to plead guilty to lying about taking improper gifts, which included services of female escorts, authorities said Friday.

Former L.A. City Councilman Mitchell Englander, 49, will admit to one count of scheming to falsify material facts, in a plea agreement announced by federal prosecutors.

Englander misled investigators who wanted to know more about 2017 trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs paid for by a developer, authorities said.

On the Las Vegas trip, Englander was given $10,000 cash, $1,000 in chips, enjoyed $34,000 bottle service at a night club, a $2,481 dinner and received the services of two escorts,” prosecutors said.

No date was immediately set for Englander to formally enter his guilty plea. He faces up to five years in prison, but prosecutors will ask a judge to sentence Englander to no more than 36 months, officials said.

“Mitch accepts full responsibility for his actions and is contrite and embarrassed by his conduct,” defense lawyer Janet I. Levine said in a statement. “With the help and support of his family and friends, he will continue to move forward and look for new ways to contribute to his community.”

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