Alan Wapner should be temporarily removed from Ontario City Council committees and posts representing the city in the wake of FBI raids this week linked to the longtime council member, the city’s mayor wrote in a letter.
Paul Leon’s Thursday, July 30, letter to Ontario City Manager Scott Ochoa comes after federal agents executed search warrants Tuesday, July 28, on addresses linked to Wapner and San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman.
The FBI also served a warrant at a residence affiliated with civil litigation attorney Frank Lizarraga, the former general counsel for the Southern California Association of Governments who also served 13 years as an Ontario planning commissioner.
In addition, search warrants were served at Ontario International Airport — Wapner and Hagman are president and vice president, respectively, of the airporty authority board — and at a business and residence in West Covina affiliated with James Su, the founder and president of EDI Media Inc., a Chinese-language multimedia company operating television, radio, print and digital news outlets.
Airport spokesperson Steve Lambert has said the Airport Authority was not served with a warrant, but a federal grand jury subpoena for records. “There was no raid. There weren’t agents searching for documents,” he said. “There was a request to produce records which we are fully complying with.”
Su also founded the Chinese American Film Festival and has promoted U.S.-China media and cultural exchanges through his work in broadcasting and entertainment.
EDI Media is the largest Chinese American multimedia company in the U.S., according to its website. Su founded the company in 1990.
FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller said Tuesday that the warrants have been sealed by the court and that she could not disclose any information on the nature of the investigation.
No arrests have been made, she said. The FBI also declined comment Thursday.
Hagman, Wapner, Lizarraga and Su have political and civic ties to each other, with Su and Lizarraga donating over the years to Hagman’s campaign.
None of the men have commented publicly since Tuesday’s raids. An attorney for Su said he had no information about why the FBI searched his client’s home and business.
Lawrence Rosenthal, a former federal prosecutor and a professor at the Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law, said that typically much investigation has taken place to gather the evidence necessary for a judge to sign a search warrant.
However, it also takes time to go through the items obtained through the warrant.
“Usually, the more complex (the case), the more time it takes,” Rosenthal said.
There is a caveat, he added: “The current Department of Justice does not behave like the prior Department of Justice. They seem to respond to political pressure to get results … if there is pressure for charges, they might be quick.”
Another site searched by the FBI was Parkcrest Construction Inc. in Chino. The company, founded by Andrea “Andy” Sehremelis, specializes in developing shopping centers, senior assisted living homes and other projects.
Sehremelis is a licensed real estate broker and a general contractor, whose expertise is land acquisition for development and project management, according to the firm’s website. He also bills himself as a local philanthropist who donates to youth and faith-based organizations throughout Southern California.
In August 2025, Parkcrest Construction was granted by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors a 30-year lease for 40-acres of vacant land at the Chino Airport, according to the Chino Champion newspaper. Sehremelis planned to use the land for a truck storage facility and electric vehicle charging station.
Hagman abstained from the vote, because Sehremelis a month earlier had donated $1,000 to his campaign, the Champion reported. Hagman said at the time that he would return the money.
Campaign finance records show Sehremelis donated $11,400 to Hagman between 2018 and 2024. He also gave $20,500 to Wapner’s campaign between 2022 and 2025, according to records.
When Sehremelis sought approval for a development project in the Los Angeles County city of Lakewood in 2017, Hagman offered a letter of support.
“I first met Andy at his restaurant, Archibald’s, in Chino Hills, CA,” Hagman wrote in the letter to Lakewood’s City Council.
“Since having meet (sic) Andy, I have been impressed with his willingness to help out those in need, and those charities that are helping those in his community. He is one of the most generous individuals, and one of the most generous business owners that I have had the pleasure of knowing.”
Sehremelis did not return messages requesting comment Thursday. Also unreturned were messages left for the company’s real estate attorney Joseph Cardella as well as company contractor John Minock.
In his letter, Leon, who faces a reelection challenge from Wapner in November, wrote that the FBI investigation creates an “appearance issue” that the council has a responsibility to address.
The mayor said he will recommend, at Ontario’s next council meeting, that Wapner be temporarily removed as mayor pro tem — essentially, a vice mayor role — and from his committee and board assignments pending the probe’s resolution.
City councilmembers and county supervisors typically serve on a range of boards for regional agencies as well as smaller committees focused on matters such as public safety.
“This recommendation is not intended to prejudge the outcome of the investigation or diminish the presumption of innocence to which every person is entitled,” Leon wrote.
“Rather, it is intended to protect the integrity of the City, preserve public confidence, and safeguard the important work of the regional organizations on whose boards we serve.”
Leon also wants Wapner removed from his position as board president at the Ontario International Airport Authority, a public agency. It’s a city-appointed post that Wapner would lose if he leaves the city council.
Leon added his recommendation is not without precedent, citing examples including:
- The California State Senate removing Sen. Ron Calderon from committee assignments during a federal investigation in 2013.
- The Los Angeles City Council removing Councilmember José Huizar in 2018 during a federal investigation.
- The Orange County Board of Supervisors removing Supervisor Andrew Do from boards and commissions in 2024 during a federal corruption investigation. Do was later convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery.
- The San Jose City Council removing Councilmember Omar Torres while a criminal investigation was pending.
Leon wrote that he will also recommend council members order the city attorney to set up an impartial process for temporarily reassigning leadership posts, committee assignments, and similar appointments during “serious criminal investigations.”
“Establishing a clear policy will ensure that future councils respond consistently and fairly, regardless of the individual involved,” Leon said in the letter.
Councilmember Debra Porada said Thursday she couldn’t comment on Leon’s recommendation, reserving that for Tuesday’s council meeting.
“Right now I have to be in listening mode. I want to be able to listen and gather the facts on Tuesday,” said Porada. As to the federal investigation, she said, “I don’t know anything.”
Other councilmembers, including Wapner, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Staff Writer Pat Maio contributed to this report.