LOS ANGELES—Rep. Karen Bass, the leading contender in the race for mayor of Los Angeles, is one of two influential politicians who received full-tuition scholarships valued at nearly $100,000 from the University of Southern California’s (USC) social work program, the Los Angeles Times is reporting Sept. 8.
The other politician who received a scholarship from the university is the son of former Los Angeles County Supervisor and City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has been indicted on bribery and fraud charges.
Federal prosecutors have not indicated Bass is under criminal investigation. However, prosecutors have declared that Bass’s scholarship and her dealings with USC are “critical” to their bribery case and to their broader portrayal of corruption in the university’s social work program, the Los Angeles Times reported….