Los Angeles school board member Ref Rodriguez pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he illegally reimbursed 25 donors to his successful 2015 campaign.
Rodriguez, 46, is charged with three felony and 25 misdemeanor counts related to the alleged scheme. If convicted, he faces up to four years and four months in jail.
Prosecutors accuse him of giving $24,250 to his own campaign while illegally representing that the donations had been made by more than two dozen friends and family members, including 13 who worked for his charter school organization.
The donations were made in their names and he allegedly used his own money to pay them back. He faces felony charges of conspiracy, perjury, and procuring and offering a false or forged instrument, as well as the misdemeanor counts — one for each of the 25 donors he is accused of illegally reimbursing.
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