Former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo (Creative Commons)

Former Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo could be facing several years behind bars for his connection with a massive corruption scandal playing out in one of Los Angeles’ smaller working-class cities, according to Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Rizzo was one of eight current and former Bell city officials who were arrested and charged on Tuesday with misappropriating funds. 

“We are alleging they used the tax dollars collected from the hard-working citizens of Bell as their own piggy bank, which they looted at will,” said Cooley.

In addition to Rizzo, police arrested the mayor, a former assistant city manager and council members. 

Rizzo was poised to earn $1.5 million in 2010, and the city council members earned nearly $100,000.

Bell Police Chief Randy Adams, who earned $457,000, was not charged in connection with the case. His salary was almost double what the head of the L.A. Police Department earns. 

However, Cooley said that more people could be charged, but that there is no evidence that Adams obtained his salary illegally. 

The district attorney’s office has been investigating Bell city officials since March, nearly four months before the news of the corruption in Bell became public.

The scandal in Bell has prompted a response from Sacramento, where Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering several bills designed to prevent such an instance from happening again. However, some lawmakers still aren’t certain whether such measures will be effective. 

The bills were approved by the legislature next month and aim to stop the misuse of taxpayer funds as well as preventing excessive retirement benefits.

The League of California Cities says the salaries of city officials should be made public information, but the Legislature chose not to include such a measure.

Reach Reporter Brooke Matthews here.