LOS ANGELES—On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office disclosed that two new public corruption charges against Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price after discovering evidence that the city’s housing authority and LA Metro paid Price’s wife over $800,000 total. At the same time, Price voted to award the agencies multimillion-dollar contracts.
Curren De Mille Price Jr., 74, has been a Los Angeles City Councilmember for the Ninth District since 2013. Councilmembers are prohibited from having a financial interest associated with any project that comes before the LA City Council.
Price was charged on June 13, 2023, in case BA515782 with five felony counts of embezzlement of government funds, three felony counts of perjury and two felony counts of conflict of interest.
The 10 felony counts allege that Del Richardson & Associates, a company owned solely by Price’s wife, Delbra Pettice Richardson, received payments totaling more than $150,000 between 2019 and 2021 from developers before he voted to approve projects.
Price is accused of embezzling approximately $33,800 in city funds from 2013-2017 to pay for medical benefits for Richardson, who he falsely claimed was his wife while still legally married to Lynn Suzette Price.
He pleaded not guilty to these charges on December 15, 2023. He was released on his own recognizance.
Subpoenas in the case yielded additional evidence of public corruption. On August 11, 2025, prosecutors filed an amended complaint alleging two additional counts of conflict of interest. The complaint includes an appendix of 39 exhibits of evidence of the payments and Price’s voting history.
Between October 22, 2019, and June 30, 2020, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles allegedly paid Del Richardson & Associates approximately $609,600. During this time, Price voted to support a $35 million federal grant and a state grant application for $252 million for the agency. His staff flagged the item of interest prior to the votes.
Between October 27, 2020, and October 20, 2021, LA Metro paid Del Richardson & Associates approximately $219,500. During this time, Price brought and voted in favor of a motion to award $30 million to LA Metro. Price’s staff flagged the conflict of interest prior to the votes.
It is further alleged that Price took advantage of his position in city government to award city lease agreements and over $2 million in federal COVID-19 grants to the nonprofit Home at Last.
Home at Last was a paying tenant of the Urban Healthcare Project at the time of the votes. Price served as CEO of Urban Healthcare Project during the time of these votes. These funds were intended for homelessness efforts.
Price’s arraignment on the amended complaint is scheduled for Thursday, August 14, in Department 42 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
If convicted as charged, Price faces a maximum sentence of 11 years and 4 months in custody, including up to 9 years and 4 months in state prison and up to two years in county jail.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins of the Public Integrity Division and is being investigated by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.
