LOS ANGELES—A former top executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power pleaded guilty on Jan. 25 to a federal bribery charge stemming from a probe of the city’s handling of the botched launch of a billing system used by the municipal utility. David H. Wright, 62, of Riverside, accepted bribes from a lawyer in exchange for supporting a $30 million, no-bid contract with the utility company, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The lawyer named in the case, Paul Paradis, has also agreed to plead guilty to a federal bribery count. Wright is expected to be sentenced on April 26. He admitted in his plea agreement that he accepted kickbacks and participated in “corrupt schemes” while leading the municipal utility. Wright’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The cases against Wright and Paradis were the first criminal charges arising out of the investigation …