Statement from Melahat Rafiei on Plea Agreement

I’ll have more to say on this next week.  But here is an official statement from Melahat Rafiei on her plea agreement with the Department of Justice.

 

I have made the difficult decision to accept a plea deal with the US Attorney’s office.   I have made this painful choice by weighing my options, the most important of which was the care and custody of my son Kian.  I know this option will bring  certainty,closure and a path forward.

No promises have been made with respect to what penalty will be imposed. It may well include prison time. My hope is that the Judge will take all factors into consideration.

My attorney has advised me to not discuss the facts of the case pending the final resolution of the matter.  I will share my story in due time.  For now, I will proceed with dignity, humility towards finding peace and clarity in my life. 

I am fortunate to have the love and support of my family, including my ex-husband Kwame and his wife Melissa. Ensuring stability, safety and emotional care for my son is my top priority.

I am also grateful for friends who have proven themselves to be courageous and true. I have never hesitated to stand in the dark with others to help them navigate their way through difficult situations. Those who continue to stand with me are my lifeline. It is a debt I will never be able to repay.

Had I understood the course things would take, I would never have run for Secretary of the California Democratic Party. It was never my intention to harm anyone. I have only ever cared about supporting, protecting and strengthening democracy here and abroad. 

While all I have done to this point may be overshadowed by this unfortunate chapter, I remain proud of my work on behalf of candidates and institutions whose values I share. 

I am a woman of color who succeeded in earning a seat at tables where important policies were discussed and debated and put into action.  I take pride in those accomplishments.  As a refugee from Iran who knows how fragile liberty is, facing this moment is painfully hard. 

The challenges I have overcome in my life will help me navigate the path ahead. Every friendship I have forged will help me  endure the discomfort of watching my story rewritten.  This one snapshot of my life will hopefully not define my book of life.

 

 

With Love and Hope.

19 Comments

  1. She’ll “share [her] story in due time” — hinting that there’s more to it than what’s presented in the plea deal. And yet her plea deal includes the condition that she “not contest facts agreed to in this agreement.” So, perhaps predictably, there’s not much good faith there.

    The US Attorney’s Office should just throw the book at her. This statement isn’t credible. She was caught trying to subvert democratic government. What the hell does running for Secretary of the California Democratic Party have to do with anything? Zero contrition. This is just shameful.

  2. Melahat is a felon not by accident. Not by an unfortunate incident. Her statement makes it sound like her years long corrupt practices were merely an act of god that she had no control over. She subverted democracy. She committed crimes of moral turpitude for monetary gain. She plays the victim when all she has done is create victims. She shows no remorse. No culpability. Sorry but I can’t feel sorry for her.

    “ In September and October of 2019, Rafiei falsely represented to a commercial cannabis company owner that, in exchange for a payment of at least $300,000, she would work to pass a cannabis-related ordinance in Anaheim that would benefit and be specifically tailored for the victim’s business. However, Rafiei already had been working on such an ordinance for other paying clients.

    Rafiei then falsely represented to the victim that she would keep only $10,000 of the payment in exchange for her purported work. In fact, Rafiei intended to keep $100,000 of the payment.

    Rafiei also falsely represented to the victim that $200,000 of the $300,000 would go to the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, when in fact, she intended to split the $200,000 equally between herself and an associate of hers who was not affiliated with the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. She instructed the victim to pay the $300,000 to various entities whose accounts she controlled.”

      • When you bribe elected officials to change their votes you are precisely subverting democracy. You are corrupting the outcomes of the democratic process to manifest according to your will rather than a duty to the electorate’s collective will and interests. How else can you interpret bribery? It’s disturbing to me that you don’t see it that way.

        • My understanding is both council members were already pro-cannabis and there was no vote ever taken. How do you change a vote that was never taken?

          • We don’t know for sure who the co-conspirators were. But even if no votes would have changed — and we can’t know that for certain either — and Rafiei intended to pocket the money after conning the person she solicited the bribes from into believing that votes would change, she is undermining faith in our democratic institutions by her actions. That’s obvious, man. You can’t possibly in good faith take the position that this wasn’t subverting democracy. This is why you lack credibility as a reporter and why you lack credibility as a Democrat.

            • Allow me to introduce facts for you. She’s pleading guilty to one count of attempted wire fraud, not bribery. No money was paid to either Councilmember in 2019. No vote was ever taken. So democracy remains intact.

              • Well, I’m not sure you’re acquainted enough with facts to be making introductions on their behalf.

                Rafiei’s plea deal includes the provision that she “not contest facts agreed to in this agreement.” The statement of facts in the plea deal includes an account of her negotiating prices for bribery on behalf of two city council members.

                Your ambition as a contortionist in trying to defend your patron is notable. But spraining just about everything in the attempt.

      • subverting democracy occurs when the process by which the values and principles of a system in place are contradicted or reversed. The defendant worked behind the scenes, making promises of economic gain to business owners and elected officials. If that’s not subverting democracy, I don’t know what is.

    • Even the FBI thinks so:
      The FBI has been investigating CW1 since approximately 2018 for violations of federal criminal law to include 18 U.S.C. § 666 (theft or bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds), among others. In July 2019, I sought court authorization to intercept electronic and wire communications over CW1’s phone. I was granted Title III authorization from the court and intercepted electronic and wire communications over CW1’s phone from approximately June 24, 2019 through July 23, 2019. On October 28, 2019, CW1 was arrested, pursuant to a complaint, for violating 18 U.S.C. § 666. CW1 was interviewed on the same day as CW1’s arrest, and CW1 subsequently agreed to cooperate with the FBI in this investigation. The complaint was dismissed without prejudice at the request of the government. Based on my interactions with CW1, and the interactions of other agents with CW1, particularly FBI SA Joseph Nieblas, I believe that CW1 has lacked candor at times during CW1’s assistance in this investigation. For example, I believe CW1 lied to FBI SAs during CW1’s interview on October 28, 2019. I also believe CW1 has omitted material facts to investigators throughout CW1’s cooperation with the FBI, including additional instances where CW1 has offered to pay bribes to elected public officials. However, the FBI has relied on information provided by CW1 in instances where such information has been deemed credible by way of corroboration. CW1’s counsel has indicated to the government that they wish to reach a resolution in this matter. Based on the government’s interaction with CW1 and CW1’s counsel, I believe CW1’s motive for cooperating in this investigation is to receive leniency for the federal criminal violation CW1 was originally arrested for, as well as other possible criminal conduct. The government has not made any promises of leniency to CW1 or CW1’s counsel. As of April 11, 2022, CW1 has no known criminal history.

  3. Fair commentary and perhaps deserved
    But it certainly beats the other blogs introduction of the race of her child, using the same derogatory term he used previously as outlined in the mailers he accussed HER and Congressman Correas staff of sending.

    I guess we should hold our breath so that Vern’s other FELON buddy Meth King Paul Lucas to chime in.

  4. Perhaps this explains why municipal government in Orange County has grown more corrupt over the past few years: when your advisors tell you what to do and how to vote, and you (as an elected official) have no knowledge of what is considered legal, you’ll just trust your advisor. Because it’s expedient.

    This is no way relieves the elected officials of culpability. In at least one case, the defendant conspired to bribe two elected officials who were also attorneys, and thus should have known better. For that matter, any elected official should be thinking twice about any advice a campaign advisor gives them regarding how to govern. There is a reason those two functions are separate.

    For those who are outraged by this corruption, I hope you stop giving it air. Dont think for a minute that the defendant isn’t planning to write a book or do something else that will monetize her experience. Her outcome is out of our hands. Let’s go back to watching our municipal governments and making sure they are run with forethought and ethics.

  5. The First plea deal was reportedly negociated By Dellusion Diamond and had her facing 475 years in SUPERMAX. She rejected Greg’s legal skills , paid him in Big Mac’s and ran.

    BTW did you catch wind of the latest mailers? How in the world will Katie Porter react to Donna’s sexual innuendo.

    BTW- Victor is hosting a food drive Greg if you bring your EBT card.

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