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Arraignment postponed for Palmdale mayor charged with corruption

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Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford

LOS ANGELES – Arraignment has been postponed until April 26 for Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford, who is accused of illegally receiving more than $60,000 a year from local consultants, failing to publicly disclose the income on economic disclosure statements, and using an official position for personal gain.

Ledford, 64, is charged with one count each of conspiracy and conflict of interest, and three counts of perjury. He also faces one misdemeanor count of using an official position for personal gain.

Co-defendant Kimberly Anne Shaw, 62, is charged with conspiracy, as well as one count of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds, and four counts of filing a false tax return. Another co-defendant Susan Burgess Miller, 69, faces one count each of conspiracy, embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds.

Ledford, Shaw and Miller allegedly used various shell companies to pay Ledford about $5,200 a month between 2009 and 2017, according to the criminal complaint.

Shaw had been a consultant for the city of Palmdale for the past 20 years, and with Miller’s assistance, ran the AERO Institute, which received more than $2 million annually from NASA.

Miller operated a company known as Complex Culture Change Consulting and hired Ledford in 2009. Over a four-year period, AERO Institute paid the consulting firm more than $13,000 every month and the consulting firm, in turn, allegedly paid Ledford $5,200 per month.

Prosecutors allege Ledford did not perform any substantive work for AERO Institute during that time frame. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Ledford is accused of not reporting the income he received from AERO Institute on economic disclosure statements.

Shaw is accused of claiming on her tax forms on behalf of AERO Institute that the nonprofit organization had a board of directors which held meetings and kept minutes and agendas. However, several people listed on the tax forms as board members were unaware they were board members, never served on the board and never attended any board meetings, prosecutors said.

Shaw also allegedly repeatedly failed to disclose in the AERO Institute tax forms that she received over $150,000 annually from AERO in consulting fees, prosecutors added.

The Palmdale City Council voted to boost Shaw’s consultant contract in 2012 to an amount not to exceed $3.9 million over seven years. Ledford allegedly failed to reveal at the time that he was indirectly receiving income from AERO Institute, a nonprofit organization that had a $1 annual lease of Palmdale public property.

If convicted as charged, Ledford faces a possible maximum sentence of four years and eight months in state prison,while Shaw and Miller face up to four years in prison.

Previous related stories:

More charges filed in Palmdale public corruption case

Arraignment postponed again for Palmdale mayor charged in corruption case

Palmdale mayor charged in corruption case

Palmdale mayor addresses District Attorney investigation

Council member calls on Palmdale mayor to take leave of absence

Investigators search home, office of Palmdale mayor

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13 comments for "Arraignment postponed for Palmdale mayor charged with corruption"

  1. Why cant the sheriff’s start giving tickets to these non Drivers they are always cutting people off and not using tern signals

    I was at Costco tonight I was backing up out of the parking spot I back up all the way to the parked car behind me I turned right and started to go forward then some lady pulls right in front of me to my bumper and tells me I need to back up I cant really back up because I was already close to the car behind me so we sit there for like 30min then she finally backs up to let me go then preceded to tell me that I need to respect ladies and give her the right of way

    Isn’t there something called common currticy

  2. Ledford’s A.M.radio blitz back in the 90’s telling LA to come north~ and they did.It destroyed the bedroom community it was.Needless to say we left…never to return.Hope he get’s what’s coming.

  3. I moved here in 1990 and he’s turned what was going to be a thriving, affordable, suburban community into a craphole of violence and misery. He deserves jail just for that.

    • I moved here too in 1990 and there was no place to shop and only a few places to eat.

      I have great neighbors and am a mile from the Mall and the 10th West corridor. Life couldn’t be more convenient and easy.

      You are probably miserable wherever you go.

    • And all of Palmdales problems fall on Ledfords shoulders? I think not. PEOPLE made Palmdale horrible. Ledford is just a shady dude that got caught.

    • Funny, I was here in 1990. Thriving? Are you on drugs? There was no mall. Shopping on the East Side was done at the Pearland Market. Palmdale is now thriving and Ledford is a huge reason why. This is why Rex is so jealous.

  4. Great I have jury duty the week prior…. I wonder if I’m going to get this one…. guilty save us time I need my job to pay bills rather than grow bitter over political thieves

    • He wouldn’t want me on his jury. I’d send him away for the bribe money he took from the IBEW.

      • IBEW funds Rex, Marv, Raj, Hofbauer, and Bishop. Follow the money and you will see why the desert is being destroyed by solar farms. More nonsense is on the way from this strange marriage.

        • Mr. Ledford has done a lot for Palmdale. As far as the others on your list, well, vote them out. Most of them are on their fourth term, so the people that keep voting for them must be in agreement.