> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # DA’s office drops case against Feinstein - URL: https://www.smdp.com/das-office-drops-case-against-feinstein/ - Published: 2003-10-31T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:08:57.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Prosecutors claim they can’t show councilman embezzled* There will be no criminal case against Santa Monica City Councilman Mike Feinstein for his handling of $10,000 in Green Party funds because prosecutors can’t show he spent it personally, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has announced. DA spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said there isn’t enough evidence to charge Feinstein with embezzlement. The money was apparently used for Green Party business and it took more than two years to spark a complaint, she said this week. But Green Party officials say the dispute isn’t over, and insist that Feinstein still owes them money. “To prove embezzlement, we would have had to prove that he misappropriated the funds for his own use,” Gibbons said. “The evidence seems to indicate that the funds, although spent without authorization, were spent to benefit the Green Party, not Feinstein personally.” Feinstein became the center of a dispute in March after a former Green Party treasurer complained to police that Feinstein took $10,000 intended for the Green Party of LA County and deposited it into a bank account that he controlled. Prosecutors obtained bank records and the chance of a criminal case had loomed over Feinstein, a former mayor of Santa Monica, who characterized the dispute himself as a political turf battle within the Green Party. Gibbons said the report points to a cashier’s check drawn against Feinstein’s account for $16,687.50 that was allegedly used to pay six months’ rent for an office at 2809 Pico Blvd., used to conduct Green Party business. Green Party officials, however, claim they agreed to rent the office for $500 a month, payable to Feinstein. By their calculation, they owed Feinstein about $2,500\. Bob Morris, the Green Party official who contacted police in March, said he did so immediately after a copy of the returned check was made available by the man who donated to the party. After the DA announced it would not pursue charges, Glen Koontz, Feinstein’s Washington, D.C.-based attorney, issued a prepared statement defending his client’s reputation. “This entire affair resulted from the impetuous and ill-advised actions of individuals acting out of both ignorance and a malicious desire to harm Mr. Feinstein due to differences in political philosophy,” the statement said. “At no time did Mr. Feinstein act inappropriately, and there was never any basis for the false charges levied against him... ” Koontz went on to chastise Morris for initiating the investigation and members of the press who, apparently, cited anonymous sources that provided accounts critical of Feinstein. Feinstein, who is currently out of the country, did not return calls seeking comment. He told surfsantamonica.com, a Web site that reports on news in Santa Monica, that the accusations were nonsense. “I’m thankful that this unnecessary diversion of public funds and community attention is over,” Feinstein said. “We had to take eight months to confirm what almost everyone in the Green Party already knew — that I didn’t steal anything. > “I’m thankful that this unnecessary diversion of public funds and community attention is over.” — Green Party, not Feinstein personally.” — MIKE FEINSTEIN City Councilman “In particular, I would like to thank the dozens, if not hundreds, of Santa Monica residents across political lines who went out of their way to let me know that these accusations were nonsense,” he added. Green Party officials said they were holding out little hope the criminal charges would stick because of the strict standards required to prosecute them. But party officials insist the money is still rightfully theirs, asking Feinstein to hand it back over (see related story). 4CB,“I hope this breaks the logjam and allows for productive negotiations,” said City Councilman Kevin McKeown, also a Green Party member. While the dispute rages on, Bill Pietz, who wrote the $10,000 check in question back in January of 2001 as a spontaneous gesture of goodwill, said he’s sickened by the affair. Pietz said he decided to donate the money after the 2000 presidential election, when Green Party registration mushroomed and the LA County Green Party sorely needed funding. He said it was intended to be used as the council saw fit, but that Feinstein decided to deposit it into his own account. “Mike acted wrongly — I think unforgivably,” said Pietz, an academic writer who left the party because of the dispute. “But it was just totally wrong to take it to criminal stuff. “I thought I made this grand gesture, saying, ‘OK, here’s something to work with. Let’s make an effort,’” Pietz added, laughing. > “I thought I made this grand gesture, saying, ‘OK, here’s something to work with. Let’s make an effort. Jesus, nothing but bad stuff’s come out of it. Enough, already.” — — BILL PIETZ Former Green Party member and $10,000 donor “Jesus, nothing but bad stuff’s come out of it. Enough, already.” Bill Pietz *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 31, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/103103.pdf?ref=smdp.com)