Former USC dean pleads guilty in political bribery case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former University of Southern California dean has pleaded guilty in a bribery case involving a powerful Los Angeles politician. Marilyn Flynn entered the plea Monday in federal court. She was dean of USC’s School of Social Work for two decades. Prosecutors said that in 2018 she arranged to use USC to illegally funnel $100,000 that Mark Ridley-Thomas provided from his campaign funds to a non-profit run by his son, who also got a teaching job and a scholarship. Ridley-Thomas, then a county supervisor, allegedly backed a lucrative amendment to a county contract for USC. He later joined the LA City Council but was suspended last year and faces a corruption trial in November. He’s pleaded not guilty.