Former Hawthorne School Board Member Indicted

Former Hawthorne School
Board Member Indicted

March 24, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joe Scott, Director of Communications
Sandi Gibbons, Public Information Officer
Jane Robison, News Secretary
(213) 974-3525

LOS ANGELES – Former Hawthorne School Board member Frank Desimone was arraigned today on a Los Angeles County Grand Jury indictment charging him with tax evasion, perjury and filing a false document.

Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman of the Public Integrity Division (PID) said the indictment (BA331854) was returned on Friday and unsealed today when Desimone, 33 (dob 6-16-1974), appeared before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven R. Van Sicklen. The defendant was allowed to remain free on his own recognizance pending a bail hearing on April 1 before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza.

The bail requested in the indictment is $105,000.

The indictment culminated a PID investigation that started in 2005 into allegations that Desimone had secretly married and moved out of the Hawthorne School District.

Huntsman said Desimone first denied being married, then said his new wife lived alone with their baby in Cypress while he continued to live in Hawthorne to serve on the school board.

The prosecutor said the four counts of filing a false tax return covers 2003 to 2006 and involve $400,000 in unreported income.

The one count each of perjury and filing a false document
are based upon Desimone filing a city tax document with Hawthorne in 2006, claiming he had discontinued and sold his company, DJ Business.

If convicted, Desimone faces a possible maximum state prison term of five years and eight months, Huntsman said.

sg

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