A pair of senior politicians from a town in Southern California’s high desert are under investigation for allegedly receiving money from a controversialChinese electric car maker, the Post can reveal.
Lancaster Vice Mayor Marvin Crist and city Councilmember Raj Malhi were dramatically escorted byFBI agentsfrom their homes at gunpoint in a series of raids on April 15, according to a source with detailed knowledge of the operation.
Officials seized documents and electronic devices from their homes as part of the sweeping probe.
Agents searched a total of four locations while investigating links between the two men and China-based electric-car manufacturerBYD, which is running America’s first trial of electric buses in the city.
Lancaster City Hall and the home of a Bel-Air developer were also searched in the raids.
Details of the federal search warrant reveal that agents were looking for “information pertaining to anything of value given by BYD, directly or indirectly, to an elected official, candidate, committee or political action committee.”
The warrant allowed agents access to phones, computers and other digital devices, including deleted or encrypted data, as well as access to devices protected by fingerprints or facial recognition technology.
The investigation spans activity from 2018 to the present and targets records tied to key individuals, financial transactions, government actions and political contributions.
The agency also sought “information on government actions sought, or contemplated to be sought, by BYD,” according to the source.
Malhi and Crist did not respond to calls for comment. No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
