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Bell Scandal: Rizzo Sentenced to 33 Months for Tax Fraud

Robert Rizzo's lawyer, James Spertus, spoke after today's hearing.

Robert Rizzo, the former Bell city manager who oversaw an era of corruption, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison Monday on tax fraud charges. He was also orded to pay $256,000 in restitution to the federal government. 

The sentence is possibly the first of two prison terms Rizzo could receive this week. He will return to court on Wednesday, when he is expected to be sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison on corruption-related charges. 

Rizzo was accused of claiming more than $770,000 in phony losses, mostly tied to his horse ranch in Washington, which he falsly claimed was rental property. He acknowledged creating a corporation specifically to claim phony financial losses to reduce his tax liability on his $1.5 million annual salary. 

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