Editing Temple City, California (section)

===2009 Temple City Affair===
In January 2009, the [[Los Angeles County District Attorney]] began investigating allegations that Temple City's mayor, Judy Wong, along with city council members David Capra, and former mayor Cathe Wilson<ref name="latimes1">{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/temple-citys-mayor-and-two-others-indicted-on-bribery-charges-.html |title=Temple City mayor, two others indicted on bribery, perjury charges |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 10, 2009 |access-date=August 12, 2010}}</ref> solicited [[Bribery|bribes]] in exchange for support of the proposed $75&nbsp;million Temple City Piazza mall project and both women were charged with lying on fair political practice commission disclosure forms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abc7.com/archive/6859958/ |title=Temple City shaken by bribery scandal |publisher=Abclocal.go.com |date=June 11, 2009 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> Randy Wang, developer of the Piazza project, made allegations that Wong, Wilson and Councilman David Capra demanded and received cash bribes for their support of the development.<ref name="latimes1" /> Wang raised the allegations as part of his counter-suit against the city, which sued him in April 2008, claiming he failed to meet contractual deadlines of construction on the {{convert|4|acre|m2|adj=on}} Piazza project. Temple City's lawsuit asks that the property, at Las Tunas Drive and Rosemead Boulevard, be returned to the city because of the delays after two groundbreaking ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_11408952 |title=Prosecutors seize tapes in Temple City bribery probe |work=Pasadena Star-News |date=March 9, 2010 |access-date=August 12, 2010}}</ref>

Wong, 55, the city's first Asian council member, was elected in 2003, was re-elected in 2007, and served as the city's first Asian mayor in 2007.<ref name="pasadenastarnews1">{{cite web |url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/templecity/ci_14507725 |title=Indicted Temple City Councilwoman resigns from office |work=Pasadena Star-News |date=March 3, 2010 |author=Alfred Lee |access-date=August 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203181521/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/templecity/ci_14507725 |archive-date=February 3, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Capra pleaded guilty to one [[misdemeanor]] count of failure to report a campaign contribution and agreed to resign as a condition for no prison time.<ref name="latimes1" /><ref name="Whit2">{{cite web|url=http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_17994090 |title=Our View: Cathe Wilson: Pride before the pol's fall |work=Whittier Daily News |date= May 4, 2011|access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> Nine months after being indicted on charges of bribery and [[perjury]], Wong resigned from office in March 2010; Wilson was voted out of office in spring 2009.<ref name="pasadenastarnews1" /> In May 2010, Wong accepted a [[Plea bargain|plea agreement]] of no contest for 10 counts of bribery and perjury. Wong served a 16-month sentence at [[Chowchilla, California|Chowchilla]]<ref name="Whit2" /> after pleading no contest to 10 felony counts of bribery, solicitation of bribery and perjury, and she is required to pay $16,700 in restitution to developer Randy Wang. She will have to pay about $16,300 in fines and fees. The judge denied a request from Wong's attorney seeking probation for the one-time politician.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_16041990 |title=Ex-Temple City Mayor Wong gets 16 months |work=Pasadena Star-News |access-date=August 17, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Cathe Wilson was charged with three counts each of perjury and bribery. The perjury charges included one count of lying to the [[Los Angeles County]] Grand Jury in 2008 and two counts of submitting false material in Fair Political Practices reports. Although she maintains her innocence, she chose not to plea, and her case was continued.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_15165705 |title=Former Temple City Councilwoman Judy Wong pleads no contest in corruption case, faces 16 months in state prison |work=Pasadena Star-News |date=March 9, 2010 |access-date=August 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608205308/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_15165705 |archive-date=June 8, 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> On March 30, 2011, Wilson pleaded innocent to all charges. "Oh, yes, I've got to prove my innocence," Wilson, 78, said at the [[Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center]] when asked if she was going forward with the trial. "I wouldn't put my life savings … if I didn't believe in my innocence. It's all a crock."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_17692490 |title=Former Temple City mayor Cathe Wilson maintains her innocence before court appearance |work=Pasadena Star-News |date=March 24, 2011 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> In May 2011 she was convicted on six felony counts.<ref name="Whit2" /> She was sentenced on June 23, 2011, to four years in state prison and to pay more than $10,000 in restitution to the developer.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Email Not Available--> |url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/20110602/sentencing-delayed-for-convicted-ex-temple-city-mayor-cathe-wilson |title=Sentencing delayed for convicted ex-Temple City mayor Cathe Wilson |work=Pasadena Star-News |date=June 2, 2011 |access-date=August 17, 2012}}</ref> She was released under an Alternative Custody Program in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 9, 2013|title=Cathe Wilson, Imprisoned former Mayor of Temple City, released early under Special Program|url=http://www.templecitytribune.com/featured/cathe-wilson-imprisoned-former-mayor-of-temple-city-released-early-under-special-program/|access-date=November 16, 2020|website=Temple City Tribune|language=en-US}}</ref>

Former candidate Scott Carwile, Wilson's protege, pleaded guilty to felony perjury and was granted probation in exchange for testifying against Wilson.<ref name="Whit2" />

As of August 2014, all persons sentenced to imprisonment in the Temple City Affair have been released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sgvtribune.com/general-news/20110517/ex-temple-city-mayor-judy-wong-released-from-prison-after-serving-sentence-in-corruption-case|title=Ex-Temple City mayor Judy Wong released from prison after serving sentence in corruption case|date=May 17, 2011|website=SGVTribune.com|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/government-and-politics/20140227/former-temple-city-mayor-cathe-wilsons-retirement-benefits-unaffected-by-felony-conviction|title=Former Temple City Mayor Cathe Wilson's retirement benefits unaffected by felony conviction|date=February 27, 2014|website=PasadenaStarNews.com|access-date=July 6, 2017}}</ref>