Man in Election Fraud Case Gets a Plea Bargain

Prosecutors struck a plea bargain Friday with a co-defendant in the election fraud case against Compton City Councilman Floyd A. James. But they delayed offering James an apparently similar deal until they can better determine if he tried to harass a witness.

Inglewood political consultant Roderick Wright pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of mailing a deceptive notice to voters during the councilman’s 1985 re-election campaign. In return, Deputy Dist. Atty. Candace J. Beason agreed to recommend that the three felony charges against him be dropped.

Instead of facing as much as nine years in prison had he been convicted, Wright will now receive at most a year in County Jail. But defense attorney Gerald Chaleff said Wright will likely draw probation because he has no previous criminal record. Sentencing is set for Jan. 14.

Wright, 34, said he still believes he did nothing wrong by mailing an election notice critical of James’ opponent under a postal permit that suggested no link to the councilman’s campaign.

‘No Intent’

“There was no intent on anybody’s part to commit a crime,” Chaleff said after a hearing before Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz. “It was a technical violation.”

But Beason disagreed, saying: “They were all serious charges. . . . Some of them could have been inadvertent, but (Wright) is an experienced campaign worker.”

Last December, a grand jury accused James and Wright of trying to smear the councilman’s opponent in two campaign mailers and of essentially buying votes by giving record albums to voters in exchange for a pledge of support. Defense attorneys failed to get the charges dismissed at a preliminary hearing in July, but there was talk even then of a possible plea agreement.

However, James said he was surprised Friday when the case against him was continued to Oct. 31 but Wright was allowed to plead no contest.

Marijuana Count

James said, “I guess the D.A.’s office has some concerns” stemming from his role in the arrest of Francesca Houpe. A few weeks after Houpe testified at his preliminary hearing, she was arrested on suspicion of growing three marijuana plants in her backyard.

James acknowledged Friday that he alerted police to the alleged marijuana and discussed Houpe’s arrest with a city legal official, who then persuaded the City Council to consider declaring her house a public nuisance.

But James said his role has been “misconstrued.” He said he only contacted police and “passed on some information I received” from a person who wished to be anonymous.

In a separate interview this week, Victoria Adams, who operates a swimming pool company that serviced Houpe’s backyard pool, told The Times that she had been the confidential informant who contacted James.

“We’re still reviewing the matter to see if it has any impact on this case,” Beason said.