The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday that a member of the Los Angeles City Council will face trial on felony corruption charges after a judge determined there was sufficient evidence to move forward.
Following a six-day preliminary hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shelley Torrealba instructed Karen Price, a Democrat representing the 9th District, to respond to all 12 felony counts. These include embezzlement of public funds, conflict of interest, and perjury.
“This is a significant step towards holding Los Angeles City Councilmember Karen Price accountable for longstanding allegations of corruption,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman. He noted that the Department of Public Integrity has been preparing for trial since the charges were first made. “The rules are straightforward: Elected officials shouldn’t enrich themselves at the expense of their constituents. They can’t lie on disclosure forms or vote on matters where they have a conflict of interest,” he added.
Price’s office has not yet commented on the situation.
Prosecutors claim that Price improperly voted on a city project that financially benefited his wife and failed to disclose necessary discrepancies on state documents. The charges allege that from 2013 to 2017, Price embezzled around $33,800 in city funds. Furthermore, he supposedly used his government position to secure city leases and award over $2 million in federal COVID-19 grants to a nonprofit, Home at Last, which was a tenant of the Urban Healthcare Project, where Price served as CEO at the time.
Price has denied any wrongdoing, and his arraignment is set for March 13. Initially, he was charged in 2023 with five felony counts of embezzlement, two counts of conflict of interest, and three counts of perjury.
An amended complaint filed in August 2025 added two more counts of conflict of interest, claiming that the Los Angeles Housing Authority and LA Metro paid Price’s wife more than $800,000 while he voted to approve multi-million dollar contracts.
If found guilty, Price could face between nine years and four months in state prison and up to 11 years and four months in county jail, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
