Law enforcement officers raided the Huntington Park City Hall and the homes of local leaders Wednesday morning, including the home of Mayor Karina Macias.
The warrants were served by investigators with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as part of a sweeping corruption probe, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman later confirmed that warrants were served at 11 locations across the city, including City Hall, homes of current and former city councilmembers, the home of the current city manager, and a Glendale construction company.
Hochman referred to the ongoing corruption probe as “Operation Dirty Pond,” and said it was launched in 2022 to investigate the potential misuse of millions of dollars in public funds set aside for the construction of an aquatic center at Salt Lake Park.
Warrants were served at the following locations:
- Huntington Park City Hall
- Huntington Park Public Works Yard near Salt Lake Park
- Salt Lake Park (Proposed site for aquatic center)
- Business Office of Unified Consulting Services, LLC
- Home of Karina Macias, current Huntington Park Mayor and City Councilmember
- Home of Eddie Martinez, current Huntington Park City Councilmember
- Home of Graciela Ortiz, former Huntington Park City Councilmember
- Home of Marilyn Sanabria, former Huntington Park City Councilmember
- Home of Edvin Tsaturyan and Sona Vardikyan, Owners of JT Construction Group, Inc. in Glendale
- Home of Efren Martinez, former Huntington Park City Official in Los Angeles
- Home of Ricardo Reyes, current Huntington Park City Manager in Downey
Sky5 was over the scene of the raid at Huntington Park City Hall at 6550 Miles Ave. around 1 p.m.
During the searches, several items related to the investigation were seized, including financial paperwork, computers, tablets, cell phones and “various forms of electronic equipment,” the D.A.’s Office said.
The Times reported that the investigation was focused on the use of public funds and contractors related to the aquatic center project.
Hochman, who described the case as “complex,” said his office would work to ensure that public officials “uphold the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and transparency.”
“When concerns arise about the use of public funds or the actions of those in office, it is our duty to investigate thoroughly and protect the public’s trust,” Hochman said in an afternoon news release. “No one — regardless of their position or title — is above the law.”
Anyone with information about the investigation is urged to contact Sgt. Robert L. Jackson of the District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation at 213-257-2511.
Huntington Park is a 3-square-mile city in the southeast L.A. region known as the Gateway Cities, with a population of about 55,000, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
