Councilman and former USC dean indicted on federal bribery charges
Former Dean of the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Marilyn Louise Flynn and Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas were indicted on federal bribery charges that alleged Ridley-Thomas accepted bribes from Flynn “in the form of direct and indirect financial benefits” according to court documents released from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Wednesday.
The federal charges come after a 2018 United States Attorney’s Office investigation into a large “donation” made between Ridley-Thomas and Flynn.
In a 20-count indictment filed Wednesday, Ridley-Thomas and Flynn are accused of defrauding through wire communication and honest services. The documents allege the activity occurred between 2017 and 2018.
The activities between Flynn and Ridley-Thomas, who has a doctorate from USC in social ethics, were connected with Ridley-Thomas’ son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. According to the indictment, Ridley-Thomas conspired with Flynn to allow Sebastian to attend USC on a full-tuition scholarship. In January 2018, Sebastian enrolled to obtain his master’s degree from the school and served as a Professor of Practice of Policy and Social Work a month later.
The documents revealed that Sebastian received a full-tuition scholarship totaling $26,000 and a $50,000 salary from the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and the School of Public Policy during his time as a professor. The indictment also alleges Flynn set up an online curriculum that “had never existed” to accommodate Sebastian.
A $100,000 donation from Ridley-Thomas’ campaign committee was also allocated to the School of Social Work in Spring 2018. Flynn later transferred those funds to a think tank associated with United Ways of California, a non-profit organization run by Sebastian.
Court documents allege that the defendants took “steps to disguise, conceal, and cover up the bribes, kickbacks” including the $100,000 payment in which Ridley-Thomas penned a letter to the School of Social Work that provided false information to University officials about the funds’ purpose.
In exchange for bribes and kickbacks, Ridley-Thomas used his position on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to present motions and agenda items that benefited the University, such as approving a motion to establish a partnership between the County and the School of Social Work.
Ridley-Thomas also supported contracts between the School of Social Work and various departments, including the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services, to bring revenue into the school system.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, a USC staff member reported the transaction activity to the University Office of Compliance in June. Following the report, the University placed Flynn on leave and fired Sebastian from his faculty position.
The Court documents also note the timeline of events between Ridley-Thomas and Flynn that began in May 2017 when Ridley-Thomas informed Flynn of his son’s interest in obtaining a postgraduate degree. Their communication ended in July 2018 when Ridley-Thomas used his government position to approve a telehealth agreement between the University and the County.
The telehealth agreement occurred a few months after Flynn told a University official she would need to complete a “favor” to place the school in the Telehealth contract. This incident occurred in April 2018 when Flynn funneled University funds into Sebastian’s non-profit organization.
In a statement to the Daily Trojan, the University said it has cooperated with the investigation and reiterated that Flynn no longer works at the School of Social Work.
“When the university learned in the summer of 2018 about the $100,000 payment referenced in the indictment, the university disclosed the issue to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has fully cooperated ever since,” the statement read. “Marilyn Flynn has not been employed by the University since September 2018.”
In a statement to the Daily Trojan, Flynn’s lawyer Vicki Podberesky denied the federal charges.
“Marilyn Flynn has devoted her entire professional life to the field of social work. She has spent over 45 years in academia and has worked tirelessly for the improvement and betterment of the social welfare network in Los Angeles and around the country,” Podberesky wrote. “Ms. Flynn has not committed any crime and we believe that the evidence in this case will ultimately support this conclusion.”
Emmett Fuchs contributed to this report.