In a recent interview, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt said that sources within city hall have told him that staffers are shredding documents in anticipation of a fraud probe from the Department of Justice. 

Pratt said he had talked with Justice Department sources, “and city officials are going to go down. They are complicit. Here’s the hard part about catching these people. They’re literally taking money with poker chips, goods and services. Criminals are smart now. They’re not just saying Zelle me the money. But from my sources, we are going to see actual city official go down.” 

“Not quick enough,” he added, “because they got to frame these people up, but again, how does Spencer stop this when he’s mayor? I’ve met with the criminal investigation team, the IRS six times. First week in office you bring all of them in. We audit every NGO, every document that hasn’t been shredded—some people, insiders at City Hall, told me, you know they’re shredding these documents.” 

He said he has “more faith in my criminal investigation team” in that they would be able to “figure out without the documents, even if they’re shredded.”

Los Angeles has received attention due to fraud in recent months. In April, the White House’s anti-fraud task force, headed by Vice President JD Vance, suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies in the city over suspected fraud. Video from O’Keefe Media Group has also captured homeless people on Los Angeles’ Skid Row being paid to fraudulently fill out ballot petitions in the names of other people.