Follow LA Observed on Twitter here
District Attorney Steve Cooley made his first public comments about his office's investigation into possible corruption in the operation of county Assessor John Noguez. If anything, it sounds as if the investigation is white hot. Some of the bullet points:
- Noguez remains the only elected official under investigation, but "other public officials and private citizens" are targets.
- The DA said he intends to seek grand jury indictments soon.
- Cooley said the union for assessor employees has ordered members to refuse to cooperate with the investigation without "written permission" from Noguez's office. "They're telling potential witnesses that, until they get permission from the No. 1 target, they can't talk," said Cooley.
Previously on LA Observed:
Warrants served at home of L.A. Assessor John Noguez
Assessor's Office scandal is getting tougher to stomach *
Agent tied to Noguez got breaks for lots of taxpayers
