A former city manager charged with three others in an alleged corruption scheme pleaded not guilty Friday to one felony count of misappropriation of public funds.
Paul Jule Philips, 70, will return to Los Angeles County Superior Court on Sept. 22 for a preliminary hearing to determine whether the state has enough evidence to proceed with a case against him.
Philips has reportedly left his position as the city manager of Bell in the wake of the allegations, which concern several million dollars embezzled from a solar farm project in City of Industry. Philips managed City of Industry until Feb. 2018.
Philips and an attorney for the city were accused of helping to draft an agreement that was allegedly central to the embezzlement scheme, which funneled about $20 million in public funds through a bank account controlled by a contractor involved in the solar farm project. The pair was also implicated for their unspecified “handling” of those funds.
Both are formally charged with having a financial conflict of interest arising from the alleged contract, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office. An investigation into the matter is still ongoing.
Philips’ attorney said Friday his client is “looking forward” to making his case later this month.
