A former mayor of the scandal-ridden city of Bell has been sentenced to serve a year in Los Angeles County jail and five years of probation.
Oscar Hernandez was ordered Thursday to pay $241,000 in restitution to the city that was driven close to bankruptcy by a scheme to vastly inflate official salaries.
Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy also ordered Hernandez to perform 1,000 hours of community service, but she suspended a four-year prison term.
Kennedy said the former official never should have even run for office since he couldn't read English and wound up rubber-stamping documents for a corrupt city manager.
Hernandez is the latest in a series of former officials of the small, blue-collar city to be sentenced for corruption-related offenses involving misappropriation of funds.
Here are the sentences received by other ex-Bell officials so far:
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Robert Rizzo, former city manager: 12 years in state prison, nearly $9 million in restitution; sentenced in a separate federal case to 33 months in federal prison on tax fraud charges
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Angela Spaccia, former assistant city manager: 11 years, 8 months in prison, more than $8 million in restitution
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George Mirabal, former city council member: 1 year in jail, 5 years probation, 1,000 hours community service, $242,293 in restitution
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George Cole, former city council member: 180 days home confinement, 5 years probation, 1,000 hours community service, $77,000 in restitution
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Teresa Jacobo, former city council member: 1 year in jail, $242,000 in restitution
Former councilman Victor Bello is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, Aug. 1.
This story has been updated.
