Part 54: Political Corruption in the LAPD Exposed? Michel Moore and Rick Caruso
Published December 20, 2023. Updated December 28, 2024.
Photo of the Chinatown Central Plaza entrance on Broadway Street in Los Angeles by author (GoPro Hero 11 Black).
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By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist
KABOOM! I wrote in excitement at last night’s truly bombshell reporting from the Los Angeles Times journalistic duo of Libor Jany and Richard Winton. “Detectives claim LAPD chief sought investigation of Mayor Bass over USC scholarship” read the headline in the expose that only slightly undersold its explosive contents. The principal subject of the story, two complaints made by Los Angeles Police Department Internal Affairs detectives to the LAPD Office of Inspector General regarding the Chief’s conduct following the November 2022 elections.
According to the Times report, soon after the November 2022 elections Chief Moore ordered two high-ranking subordinates to have the two IA detectives, one of whom is named in the story, were directed to stop an investigation into retired LAPD Commander Cory Palka’s relationship with the University of Southern California, and that USC was itself the target of the investigation. “Their investigation centered on whether Palka’s daughter, who was a USC student at the time, had received an internship thanks to her father’s cozy relationship to [CBS’S Les] Moonves.
Now I know this story is complicated, but corruption is never a simple case to crack. The Times report preludes with the background: “The two detectives had already been investigating the university over its connection to Cory Palka, the former LAPD captain who retired last year amid allegations that he schemed to cover up a sexual abuse claim against former CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves.” This probe was seemingly launched following a conclusive report from the New York Attorney General’s office into the CBS allegations relating to Moonves and Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb.
A well-known actress, Golden-Gottlieb passed away in July 2022 after reporting her sexual assault by Moonves in late 2017 at the LAPD Hollywood Station. Palka, the station commander, instead of lawfully investigating her report against the powerful Les Moonves who had retaliated against Golden-Gottlieb after assaulting her in the 1980s. Instead Palka almost immediately contacted Ian Metrose via text message to work to systematically undermine her complaint in favor of Moonves in order avoid negative publicity.
When this was disclosed by NY AG Rob Bonta’s office after coordination with the California Attorney General’s office on November 2, 2022, it came with a $30.5 million fine against CBS for insider trading following the report and an agreement to make systemic changes. Palka though was not disciplined, and despite an LA Times report from Richard Winton on February 15 of this year that U.S. Attorney Mack Jenkins had joined the probe, Palka remains unpunished. The LAPD has repeatedly declined to comment to me regarding the Palka case.
In August of this year after again requesting comment on the Palka case, the LAPD Media Relations Division told me “Zachary there are no updates” while referring my questions about the status of his taxpayer funded pension to “the Pension Dept” for follow-up. Days before the NY AG’s investigation report was disclosed, we learned from a leaked civil case deposition to former Knock LA journalist Jonathan Peltz that billionaire former Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Mayoral candidate Rick Caruso while being questioned regarding the George Tyndall gynecology sexual abuse report told attorney John Manly of Manly, Stewart and Finaldi as part of a group questioning him had received a call directly to his cellphone about the case from an LAPD captain whose name he couldn’t remember.
Under repeated questioning by Manly, Caruso sputtered to recall any details of the self-disclosed phone call which took place sometime soon after the May 2018 disclosure of Tyndall’s sexual violence against hundreds if not thousands of Trojan women over the course of decades. Tyndall died while awaiting trial date more than 5 years after the scandal broke on October 4 of this year at the age of 76. On December 1 according to source report, Judge Larry Paul Fidler did not certify the coroner’s report on Tyndall, which would have closed the criminal case against him.
According to KTLA reporting by journalists Cameron Kiszla and Cindy Von Quednow, attorney Gloria Allred who represents 72 of Tyndall’s accusers said at the time “Like Jeffrey Epstein, he will never have to face a criminal trial… They were hoping that they could, if he was convicted at a criminal trial, be able to give a victim impact statement so that he would hear the harm, the damage that he caused to them when he was their OBGYN and they were his patients.”
So we have to again ask as Tyndall victims Lucy Chi, Audry Nafziger and Allison Rowland bravely wrote in the Los Angeles Times on October 18, 2021, which is the same day principal recording of the LA Fed Tapes was made of Nury Martinez, Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo, and LA Fed AFL-CIO President Ron Herrera: “So here is another question: Can it be that both the LAPD and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office have bungled this case, one which involves perhaps the most prolific sexual predator in the country?”
The curious thing about the LA Fed Tapes investigation undertaken by the LAPD at the direction of Chief Michel Moore on October 25, 2022 more than two weeks following the publication of the recordings by both the Los Angeles Times and Knock LA to widespread outrage and worldwide news is that is dead ended. It’s important to note that it is the LA Fed’s unknown private investigation that discovered deleted recording software on former Director Finance Santos Leon’s laptop, and only months after the leaks occurred.
The LAPD did not find that evidence. Instead the LA Fed in July 2023 turned over its investigation as initially reported by Los Angeles Magazine’s Michele McPhee to the LAPD who in turn submitted cases against both Leon and his spouse, Herrera’s former Executive Assistant Karla Vasquez that was in turn returned to the LAPD for further investigation with Chief Moore issuing public statement on October 10 stating that they alone were investigated by LAPD for the leak of the LA Fed Tapes on Reddit by unknown user “Honest-Finding-1581.”
There is no reason to believe based on the initial credible report that Vasquez was involved, in fact, the report we have based on multiple sources is that Santos Leon mistreated Vasquez and had planted spyware on the conference room computer at the LA Fed and on Herrera’s laptop. After the LA Fed turned over their case to the LAPD, they executed further search warrants on Vasquez and Leon’s residence. It’s unclear if any additional evidence was recovered to substantiate the theory offered by Moore that both of these individuals were responsible.
According to source report close to the LA Fed’s investigation, Leon offered no statements or declaration after being confronted with the private investigations evidence. Significant evidence of financial mismanagement was also detected pursuant to that investigation. In the note accompanying the recordings on Reddit, “Honest-Finding-1581” writes: “If Rick Caruso wins the Mayor's race, he will clean house at City Hall, including making sure Nury Martinez is out.”
The latest allegations regarding Moore are disturbing because they come on the heels of this most important investigation into political corruption in Los Angeles only months later and suggests that he both seeks to launch and obstruct lawful investigations for political reasons. Moore denied culpability in a statement to the Los Angeles Times writing: “The mayor and I have NOT discussed any such investigation by anyone in the department into her USC Master’s Degree in Social Work…Additionally, I have no such knowledge of any alleged investigation nor would I initiate any such investigation.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass who defeated Rick Caruso, who had the support of the Los Angeles Police Protective League and presumably Chief Michel Moore with whom he has a close relationship according to California Public Records secured pursuant to my investigation into these matters said: “Mayor Bass’ focus is on reducing crime. People need to get with that program and stop wasting time and resources on debunked political attacks.” Karen is not having it with Mike on the hitjob!
Moore who in January 2022 was under consideration for a full 5-year re-appointment by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners is alleged to have acted in his own self-interest by the two IA Detectives OIG complaints. According to one of the detectives complaints: “I believe that using LAPD resources to investigate Karen Bass was improper, unethical and a violation of City ordinances and was done for the personal benefit of Chief Moore to assure his reappointment as Chief of Police.”
Provided that these allegations are sustainable, and the Times report notes that no evidence has reportedly been provided regarding the in-person meeting at which the two IA Detectives were instructed to cease one investigation for political reasons and to launch another on false bases it is likely the tip of the iceberg. Just what is going on here in Los Angeles? One thing is for sure, after the last 15 months I feel a whole lot better just reading this news and will continue to do my part as a whistleblower and journalist to disclose and investigate such cases.
The victims of George Tyndall deserved their day in court. If in fact, as seems apparent that there was an effort by both the LAPD and the District Attorney’s offices including under former DA Jackie Lacey and George Gascón to slow walk the case to “death” as some have said, that is unacceptable. Now I want to give Michel Moore his due diligence, but this is a bad look, and even as Mayor Bass has vowed to launch a national search to hire a replacement for Moore we have to ask just what is going on in LAPD with these high-profile matters.
As I’ve written previously, while being subjected to a hostile termination in part because of my covert whistleblowing at USC, I reported my reasonable belief on August 26, 2022 that after observing USC Senior Vice President Sam Garrison speak that I feared an audio leak was imminent with the intention to influence the outcome of the November 6, 2022 election in favor of Rick Caruso.
This was disclosed to a senior security specialist at USC with a background in corporate investigations, and so for more than 15 months I’ve wondered about that observation on August 18, 2022 at a USC event that something crazy was about to happen. On September 19, 2022 the first clips of the recordings were posted on Reddit and then Tweeted at journalists and others affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of Los Angeles to attract press attention and discredit candidate Hugo Soto-Martinez as a particular target.
Garrison is a former VP at Caruso Affiliated and served as Caruso’s Chief of Staff throughout both the George Tyndall scandal as well as the Mark Ridley-Thomas case. In the CPRA records I’ve secured, he can be seen sharing his departure with colleagues from Operation Progress which provides LAPD mentors to youth in Watts including Chief Moore to join NASA and JPL in similar capacity. Moore writes back to Garrison on November 16, 2017: “Sam – Congratulations on your new adventure and THANK YOU for both what you’ve accomplished with OP and your intention to stay on… - Mike.” They discuss play softball together LAPD versus Caruso, and the LAPD crushes Team Caruso 12-3, “(Sorry Sam)” writes the former director of Operation Progress.
Please support my work with your subscription, or for direct support, use Venmo, CashApp, PayPal, or Zelle using zachary.b.ellison@gmail.com
Zachary Ellison is an Independent Journalist and Whistleblower in the Los Angeles area. Zach was most recently employed by the University of Southern California, Office of the Provost, from October 2015 to August 2022 as an Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant, supporting the Vice Provost for Academic Operations and the Vice Provost and Senior Advisor to the Provost, among others. Zach holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Policy and Planning from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. While a student at USC, he worked for the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, including on their university-wide newsletter. Zach completed his B.A. in History at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and was a writer, editor, and photographer for the Pasadena High School Chronicle. He was Barack Obama’s one-millionth online campaign contributor in 2008. Zach is a former AmeriCorps intern for Hawaii State Parks and worked for the City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation. He is a trained civil process server and enjoys weekends in the outdoors. Zach is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club.
Interesting article. This reminds me of previous LAPD scandals. I recently rewatched LA Confidential and it also reminded me of LAPD's history of corruption. I grew up in Los Angeles and recall hearing stories from my mother about Holmes Tuttle and his syndicate. Stories about Darrel Gates which were revealed after the Rodney King beating and (it may be fiction but) stories by Joseph Wamabaugh which acquaintances on the force confirmed. My musings might be superficial because I never deeply looked into these scandals, I just recall people talking about them and reading LA Times stories. These are just remembrances from a lifetime of living here.