Former Head of LADWP Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison

Palisades resident also sentenced in federal case

The former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) was sentenced this week to 72 months in federal prison for accepting bribes from a lawyer in exchange for his official action to secure a three-year, $30 million no-bid LADWP contract for the lawyer’s company.

David H. Wright, 62, of Riverside, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr., who described Wright’s conduct as “egregious” because Wright – while a public servant – executed an “elaborate and sophisticated criminal scheme” that was motivated by “pure greed.” Judge Blumenfeld also ordered Wright to pay a fine of $75,000.

Wright, who is the first defendant to be sentenced in the LADWP corruption cases, pleaded guilty on January 25 to one count of bribery.

Wright served as LADWP’s general manager from September 2016 until July 2019, when he resigned at the direction of the mayor of Los Angeles.

“As the leader of the nation’s largest municipal utility, David Wright embarked on a campaign of corruption, including pushing through a no-bid $30 million contract for a company from which he had secretly accepted a lucrative job offer,” said United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “This ongoing criminal case has placed a spotlight on public corruption that harmed ratepayers while benefiting dishonest officials and unscrupulous lawyers.”

“This case is especially significant given the corruption that was rooted in the highest level of city government,” said Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “This investigation highlighted the lack of oversight for a $30 million contract and the inexcusable silencing of whistleblowers, amounting to a gross misuse of Mr. Wright’s position and a violation of the public’s trust. The FBI encourages those with information about corruption to speak up and hold accountable public officials whose conduct erodes trust in government.”

During 2016 and 2017, Wright developed a relationship with Paul O. Paradis, 58, of Scottsdale, Arizona, a lawyer appointed by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office to represent LADWP in a lawsuit in which the department blamed the vendor of its billing system for the misbilling of hundreds of thousands of ratepayers. Paradis and his New York-based law firm also held a $6 million LADWP contract to provide project management services in connection with the department’s remediation of the faulty billing system.

By early 2017, Wright and Paradis agreed that – in exchange for Wright’s support of a “no-bid” $30 million contract for Paradis’s downtown Los Angeles-based company Aventador Utility Services LLC — Paradis would give Wright a $1 million-per-year job as Aventador’s CEO and a luxury company car once Wright retired from LADWP.

In exchange, Wright lobbied members of the LADWP board of directors to vote in favor of the contract for Aventador, whose company name was taken from a model of Lamborghini sports car. At the time it approved the $30 million no-bid contract in June 2017, the LADWP board was not informed of Wright’s illegal agreement with Paradis to take a lucrative job as Aventador’s CEO upon retiring from LADWP.

After the awarding of the contract, through early 2019, Wright continued to collaborate with Paradis to build and market Aventador and to seek additional lucrative business opportunities for it — and thus for Wright and Paradis — both inside and outside LADWP. Despite being a public official, Wright used his position as LADWP’s general manager to advertise Aventador’s services at industry events and in meetings and discussions with other industry officials and executives.

By March 2019, Paradis had been forced to resign from his role as special counsel to the City Attorney’s Office. Around this time, the LADWP board voted to terminate Aventador’s contract, but it agreed to retain the company’s services if Paradis sold his stake in the company and disavowed any interest in the company, which Paradis purported to do. In late March 2019, after Paradis sold the company to an employee, Aventador officially changed its name to Ardent Cyber Solutions LLC.

In late March 2019, after Paradis had begun covertly cooperating with the FBI, Wright met with Paradis at Wright’s home and directed Paradis to destroy their incriminating text messages and emails from Wright’s cell phone and Apple iCloud account and to take back an Aventador laptop and wipe it clean. Wright told Paradis that he had already gone through his office at LADWP and destroyed all incriminating physical evidence.

In April 2019, Wright used his position to urge the LADWP board to support a new cybersecurity contract to Ardent for more than $10 million. Wright again did not inform the board of another secret arrangement with Paradis, which by then included their agreement that Wright would receive a “substantial sign-on bonus” of $600,000 or $1.2 million, as well as an increase in his ownership of their company, in addition to a previously agreed-to $1 million annual salary and luxury car.

Paradis pleaded guilty on January 28 to a federal bribery charge for accepting an illicit kickback of nearly $2.2 million for getting another attorney to purportedly represent his ratepayer client in a collusive lawsuit against LADWP related to the billing debacle. Paradis is cooperating with the ongoing investigation into the collusive litigation and corruption at LADWP. Paradis is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19.

David F. Alexander, 54, of Arcadia, LADWP’s former chief information security officer and its former chief cyber risk officer, pleaded guilty on February 8 to one felony count of making false statements to federal investigators probing corruption in the department. Alexander’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 7.

Thomas H. Peters, 56, of Pacific Palisades, the former chief of the Civil Litigation Branch of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, pleaded guilty on April 5 to one count of aiding and abetting extortion. Peters threatened to fire a plaintiffs’ attorney from a lucrative special counsel job with the city unless the attorney paid a substantial extortion demand from a former employee who was threatening to expose the city’s collusive litigation over its faulty water-and-power billing system. Peters, who is also cooperating with the ongoing investigation, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 2.

in News
Related Posts

Santa Monica Council Votes in Support of Park-Centric Future at Airport Site

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The decision followed a contentious meeting with over 140 public speakers and more than 1,000 emails received by the council...

‘Adoptapalooza’ Pet Adoption Festival Returns to Main Street This Weekend

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The free, family-friendly event aims to connect adoptable animals with new owners Green Dog Dental & Veterinary Center will host...

New Agenda Coaching: Changing Lives in LA

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Students Work Toward Applied Success with Executive Function Coaching Services The demands of daily routines and studies sometimes bear weight...

New Playground, Library Services, Tennis Courts and More Coming to Palisades Rec Center 

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Significant improvements are in progress at the Pacific Palisades Recreation Center, with multiple projects advancing Significant improvements are in progress...

Virtual Town Hall to Discuss Proposed Resilient Rebuilding Authority

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The agency, to be run by political appointees, would manage permitting, development, zoning, and funding, modeled after post-disaster recoveries Los...

Big Blue Bus to Raise Fares for First Time in Nearly a Decade

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The fare increase aims to offset rising costs for fuel, utilities, and supplies, according to the agency. The Santa Monica...

Shore Hotel: A Local Destination for Summer Fun

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Bring on all things summer. Walking or biking along Santa Monica Pier, you might find yourself taking a pause at...

Soprano Golda Zahra Returns to BroadStage For a One-Night-Only Musical Celebration

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

Hailed as “the rising star of the opera world” by The Hollywood Times, internationally acclaimed soprano Golda Zahra makes her much-anticipated return to BroadStage in...

Committee Granted Authority to Oversee Grants and Donations for Palisades Council

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The Grants Committee is tasked with developing application processes and eligibility standards for PPCC grants and donations The Pacific Palisades...

Anti-Drunk Driving Resolution Introduced as City Council Honors Late Palisades Teen Killed in Crash

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

Levi, who was set to attend the University of Virginia this fall, was killed by a drunk driver on May...

(Video) Hundreds of Drones Light up the Sky for Palisades to Celebrate July 4th

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The Event Marked One of the First Large Gatherings Among Palisadians Since the January Wildfires. The Event Marked One of...

Transform Your Life: The Free Virtual ONENESS GLOBAL SUMMIT Debuts July 18-20, 2025

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The ONENESS GLOBAL SUMMIT, a transformative three-day virtual event, is coming, July 18-20, 2025, offering participants worldwide a free opportunity...

New SaMo Bridge Program Refers 56 People in First Month; 37 Connected to Services

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

According to city officials, the program is on pace to meet its goal of serving 260 individuals annually Santa Monica’s...

Multi-Family Venice Property on Rare Double Lot Lists at Over $5M

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

In total, the four units provide 5,398 square feet of living space A multi-family property located one block from Venice...

Vacant Alphabet Streets Lot Lists for $1.99M After Price Cuts

July 7, 2025

July 7, 2025

The site previously held a 6,001-square-foot residence built in 2018, which included a basement, possibly streamlining the permitting process for...