Former Los Angeles City Councilman and County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas was sentenced on Aug. 28 to 42 months in federal prison for a bribery and fraud scheme in which he demanded benefits for his son from a University of Southern California dean in exchange for political support for lucrative Los Angeles County business contracts.

Ridley-Thomas, 68, of Los Angeles, was sentenced by United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also ordered him to pay a $30,000 fine.

A federal jury found Ridley-Thomas guilty on March 30 of one count of conspiracy, one count of bribery, one count of honest services mail fraud and four counts of honest services wire fraud. Ridley-Thomas, whose political career spans more than 30 years, was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors when he participated in the corrupt scheme, federal authorities said. Ridley-Thomas subsequently was elected to the Los Angeles City Council, which suspended him after a federal grand jury in October 2021 indicted him in the criminal case. He was permanently removed from the City Council following the guilty verdicts.

The jury found that Ridley-Thomas engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Marilyn Louise Flynn, 84, of Los Feliz, formerly dean of USC’s School of Social Work and a tenured professor. Ridley-Thomas helped USC secure county contracts in exchange for providing his son preferential treatment.