Alarcons re-declare their innocence on residency and fraud case

The office of City Councilman Richard Alarcon released a statement this morning repeating that Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes de Oca Alarcon, are not guilty of the voter fraud and perjury charges filed yesterday by District Attorney Steve Cooley.

My wife and I have maintained our innocence throughout this process and we have always believed that when all of the evidence is considered, that we will be found innocent. We were pleased that yesterday, Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy ruled to dismiss all of the charges against us, and we remain confident that once the exonerating evidence we provided is considered, that we will be acquitted of these charges.

The Alarcons had been indicted in 2010 in a case that hinges on the DA alleging they did not officially live in the Panorama City home where the councilman claimed to live on his official papers. His residency matters because the Panorama City home is inside the district he represents. The Sun Valley home where the DA alleges the Alarcons live is outside the district. Yesterday morning, the Superior Court judge overseeing the Alarcons' trial threw out the charges, saying the Da withheld key evidence from a grand jury. The DA refiled in the afternoon.