The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office served search warrants on Malibu Mayor Pro Tem Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner for his Malibu residence and business, Zuma Jay’s Surf Shop, on Thursday, May 31.
According to KBU News, Wagner was at the home Thursday while the search warrants were being conducted. Malibu Patch located the residence to the 26900 block of Old Chimney Drive.
In an email to The Malibu Times Thursday, Greg Riesling, a spokesperson for the DA’s office, said, “Search warrants were served yesterday at three locations, two in the City of Malibu and one outside of the city, by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.”
He declined to offer further comment due to the “ongoing investigation.”
A copy of the warrant obtained by The Malibu Times offered more details, including the alleged crime—perjury, a state offense. It was not clear what perjury the DA was searching for evidence of. There is speculation that the alleged perjury may relate to rumors that Wagner does not live in the legal boundaries of Malibu.
The warrant had been signed by Judge Ronald S. Coen of the L.A. Superior Court.
The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station was not involved in last Thursday’s investigation. In a phone call with The Malibu Times, Lt. Jim Royal of the sheriff’s station said, “We were given a courtesy notice this morning from a representative from the District Attorney’s Office shortly before the operation and [were] asked to have a patrol unit in the area, which is standard protocol.”
He added that they were unaware of the cause and details of the investigation.
Should Wagner have to stand trial for violations connected with not living inside Malibu, this would not be the first time a politician faced felony charges related to a similar situation. In 2014, Democratic State Senator Roderick Wright was convicted on felony perjury and voting fraud charges when it was found he was not living in a rental complex in Inglewood, but rather in Baldwin Hills. In another case, former Los Angeles Councilman Richard Alarcón was convicted of living outside of his district boundaries, though an appeals court reversed decision sent the case back to the city’s DA.
Representatives from the DA’s office were still investigating as of Tuesday; Zuma Jay’s Surf Shop has since reopened. A GoFundMe has been established by Wagner’s partner, Candace Brown, to assist with legal fees.
Julie Ellerton contributed to this report.