Promoter of Electric Daisy Carnival, Pasquale Rotella, has been charged in a massive corruption case, along with five others. The LA Distric Attorney says that this could result in the “financial” ruin of the Coliseum. The indictment includes 29 counts of bribery, embezzlement, conspiracy, and conflict of interest.
The Electric Daisy Carnival is a dance music carnival produced by Insomniac Events, and Rotella holds the position of CEO at the company. According to Spin, Rotella is accused of diverting over $2.5 million from the public venue, along with the Coliseum Events Manager Todd DeStefano, General Manager Patrick Lynch and rave promoter Reza Gerami of Go Ventures.
L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley explains the crime at hand:
“In the past, electronic music concerts, also known as raves, were generally conducted illegally, without permits and with rampant drug use. More recently their promoters have managed to bring the events to conventional venues but have faced resistance from the public due to continued drug use and other safety issues. The best way to overcome such resistance is always the use of an inside man. In 2008, DeStefano, Gerami, and Pasquale Rotella agreed that the two promoters would pay DeStefano personally and in exchange he would use his official position to provide them access to the Coliseum and low rates … Lynch learned of the payments in 2009 and … [assisted] him in continuing his crime.”
Rotella’s attorney is claiming that the charges are “clearly politically motivated and publicity driven,” and that Rotella is innocent.
D.A. spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons responded to his claims:
“There is nothing politically motivated about this. We received a citizen’s complaint sometime ago. We looked into it, then opened a criminal investigation, and worked on it long and hard before taking it to the grand jury. We presented the evidence and they came back with an indictment. It’s really as simple as that.”
And she backs up her statement with documents and emails that were exchanged between the accused.
The D.A. explains the relevance of the documents:
“In exchange for their payments, Rotella [and Gerami] received assistance in keeping expenses down, a tireless advocate for their continued use of the Coliseum even after the fatality in the summer of 2010, and a mole who provided them inside information such as which commissioners were for or against them, [and] which to support financially with political contributions … DeStafano’s conduct was outrageous.”
Rotella himself has yet to come out with an official statement, but Insomniac has been quick to note that “no events will be impacted.”
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