City Council Chief of Staff Ted Loza Arrested and Indicted for Receipt of Cash Bribes to Promote Taxicab Legislation

WASHINGTON—Acting United States Attorney Channing D. Phillips and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Joseph Persichini, Jr. announced that Ted Loza, 45, of Washington, D.C., was arrested by this morning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at his Northwest residence in connection with a sealed superceding federal indictment handed up on September 17, 2009. The indictment, unsealed today, charges that Loza, on two separate occasions, received cash payments in exchange for his agreement to promote favorable taxicab legislation.

The charges against Loza are set forth in full in the grand jury indictment. As alleged in the indictment, Loza was employed by the District of Columbia as chief of staff for a member of the Council of the District of Columbia (referred to in the indictment as "Public Official No. 1"). Loza has worked for Public Official No. 1 since May 16, 1998. Public Official No. 1 was the chair of the Council of the District of Columbia's Committee on Public Works and Transportation. That committee had direct oversight and regulatory authority over the District of Columbia Taxicab Commission specifically and taxicab issues generally.

The indictment alleges that Loza received two separate bribe payments. First, on June 19, 2009, Loza met with an individual and had a conversation with him in which that individual paid Loza $1,000 in cash in exchange for Loza’s agreement to promote legislation and policies related to taxicabs that were favorable to that individual's personal interests and the interests of the individual's associates.

As a second count of bribery, the indictment alleges that on July 10, 2009, Loza met again with the same individual and had a conversation with him in which that individual paid Loza $500 in cash in exchange for Loza’s agreement to promote legislation and policies related to taxicabs that were favorable to the individual’s personal interests and the interests of the individual's associates.

If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Loza faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless found guilty in a court of law.

The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Crabb and John Griffith.