Councilman Richard Alarcon, wife plead not guilty to new perjury charges

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife were back in court, one day after a judge tossed out their grand jury indictment.

Alarcon and his wife Flora pleaded not guilty to 18 new charges. They are charged with committing perjury and fraud regarding where they actually lived starting in 2006.

The couple was released on their own recognizance. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 8.

"We remain confident that once the exonerating evidence we provided is considered, that we will be acquitted of these charges," Alarcon said in a statement.

Prosecutors re-filed charges against the couple just six hours after a judge dismissed criminal charges against them on Thursday. Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy threw out the case, saying prosecutors didn't provide the grand jury with evidence that might have exonerated the couple.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Lentz Snyder said she was confident their case would go to a jury trial, saying, "The evidence is there."

Alarcon was accused of living outside Council District 7 in Panorama City, and then lying about it. Alarcon says he was renovating the older house and occasionally lived in the newer Sun Valley home owned by his wife.

After his court appearance, Alarcon went to his job as a city councilman. He can remain on the city council as long as he's not convicted of a crime - a nd he intends to keep working.

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san fernando valley, politics, john north

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