May 09--The Port of Los Angeles' chief of police pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of corruption and tax evasion.
Ronald Jerome Boyd is accused of wire fraud, making false statements to the FBI and tax evasion.
Boyd, 57, was indicted last month on 16 federal counts; after Friday's plea he was released on an unsecured bond.
Boyd was placed on leave April 30 from the post he has held for more than a decade. He is accused of helping a software company that he was associated with obtain a contract with the port.
Federal prosecutors allege that Boyd defrauded the city of Los Angeles by engaging in "bribery and kickbacks," passing on confidential information to the company and failing to disclose a joint venture he formed with the software firm.
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