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A $25,000 raise given to the guy in charge of the Coliseum's not-so-savory finances appears to have done the trick. Coliseum Commission President David Israel said he and other panel members weren't aware of the raise being given Ronald Lederkramer (seem a little crazy on its face). "Given the allegations of conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds, I find it hard to believe that officials at the Coliseum think this would be an appropriate request," says Controller Wendy Greuel, whose office will conduct the audit. From the LAT:
Earlier this year, The Times reported that two firms set up by the Coliseum's then-events manager, Todd DeStefano, collected at least $1.8 million from companies doing business at the stadium and companion Sports Arena, which have been operating in the red. At the same time, the Coliseum's former general manager, Patrick Lynch, transferred to himself ownership of a Cadillac that the commission had bought, records and interviews show. Lederkramer billed the Coliseum for most of the costs of his personally leased Jaguar, in addition to the full premium for his auto insurance, according to expense reports and other documents obtained under the California Public Records Act.
The Coliseum's weird operating structure - shared by the city, county and state - would seem to have been a recipe for trouble. But why just the controller's office? Where's the D.A.?