Former City Councilmember John Drayman Investigated for Embezzlement

John Drayman, former Glendale City Councilmember and former president of the Montrose Shopping Park Association, is being investigated by Glendale Police for allegedly embezzling money, said Sgt. Tom Lorenz.

Drayman's Montrose condo was searched on Tuesday morning by police. Officials say information from an unnamed source prompted the investigation.

The alleged embezzlement may be connected to an organization that Drayman was a part of. Drayman is not under investigation for embezzling from the city or from Advanced Development Investments, police say.

The source alleged that the embezzlement occured while Drayman was serving his city council term from 2007-2011, but police have not been able to verify that information at this time.

The investigation is ongoing and still in its early stages, said Lorenz.

No other suspects have been named at this time, and Drayman has not been arrested.

Before running for city council in 2007, Drayman was a board member and the president of the Montrose Shopping Park Association. Drayman ran for reelection to the city council this year and lost.

Drayman came under fire during his 2011 campaign for contracting ADI to revamp his Montrose condo. ADI  is under federal investigation for allegedly cheating taxpayers of millions of dollars. ADI previously built over 50 low-income housing complexes in California, including several in Glendale.

It is alleged that ADI submittied fake bills to Glendale and other cities, did not keep sufficient records of over $650 million and may have transferred almost $80 million to personal bank accounts, according to AP Los Angeles. It is also alleged that the apartment complexes are unsafe.

Drayman grew up in Montrose and La Crescenta working in his family's stores, which included Hangin' Red Pants and Custom Photo.

Drayman has said that he was responsible for the city's acquisition of Rockhaven Sanitarium and for bringing Trader Joe's to Montrose.

Stay with Patch for more updates about Drayman's investigation.