Trial of 2 in Overbilling of the DWP Gets Underway

The first criminal trial arising from the ongoing “pay-to-play” investigation into Los Angeles city contracting opened Tuesday with dozens of prospective jurors completing questionnaires.

Twelve of those panelists will eventually decide the fate of two former public relations executives accused of conspiring to overbill the city a total of about $325,000 in 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Douglas R. Dowie, once a political fundraiser and confidant of former Mayor James K. Hahn, and John Stodder, Dowie’s deputy, ran Fleishman-Hillard’s Los Angeles office.

They are accused of padding the firm’s $3-million-a-year contract with the city’s Department of Water and Power.

Dowie, 58, of West Hills and Stodder, 50, of Palos Verdes Estates have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and wiretapping. If convicted, they could face three to five years in prison, legal experts say.

The criminal case grew out of a joint state and federal probe into accusations that politicians traded city contracts for campaign contributions, an illegal practice known as pay-to-play. However, the charges against Dowie and Stodder do not involve campaign contributions.

U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess told prospective jurors their answers in the questionnaires would help lawyers determine their “qualifications to serve on the case.”

Feess denied a request by The Times to review the completed questionnaires. But he said the questions included whether prospective jurors knew potential witnesses or had heard about the case through media reports.

Jurors are to return to the downtown Los Angeles court Thursday, when lawyers are to be ready with opening statements.

Prosecutors allege that the men also schemed to overbill the Port of Los Angeles and two private entities, the firm of architect Frank Gehry and the Worldwide Church of God.

Dowie, in a separate wrongful-termination civil suit, accused his bosses of firing him to cover up the laundering of illegal campaign contributions to Los Angeles politicians. A lawyer for St. Louis-based Fleishman-Hillard has denied the allegation.