Frank Hill

Frank C. Hill III (born February 19, 1954) is a former American politician from California and a member of the Republican party. He was convicted of corruption in 1994.

Political career

As a political science graduate fresh out of UCLA, Hill went directly to work as a staffer for Republican S.I. Hayakawa's successful 1976 U.S.Senate campaign. He then worked as a legislative aide to Rep. Wayne Grisham (R-La Mirada). He won easy reelection in 1984, 1986 and 1988 in the solidly Republican district based around his hometown of Whittier.

State Senate

In 1990 Hill ran in a special election for the 31st State Senate district left open when Republican Bill Campbell resigned to become President of California Manufacturers Association. In a bitter, hard fought primary Hill narrowly defeated fellow assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach), Brea councilman Ron Isles and Diamond Bar councilman Gary Miller, then went on to easily hold the heavily Republican seat in the runoff.

The district was redrawn after the 1991 reapportionment and renumbered the 29th. Hill had little trouble holding the seat in 1992, though by then the FBI had already searched his offices (he would be indicted the following year).

Corruption

In 1994, Hill was convicted of taking $2,500 from an undercover FBI agent for help with legislation about a bogus shrimp processing plant dubbed "shrimpgate" and "shrimpscam", in what was part of the BRISPEC sting operation. The conviction resulted in a 4 year prison sentence. The sting also brought down other elected officials: state senators Paul B. Carpenter (D-Cerritos), Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), Joseph B. Montoya (D-Whittier) and assemblyman Pat Nolan (R-Glendale). Carpenter had been elected to the State Board of Equalization in 1986.

In August 2020, Hill was served a search warrant and his home in Whittier was raided in connection with a corruption probe into a failed solar project that cost the City of Industry $20 million and left taxpayers with nothing to show for. Hill and three others were charged in September 2021 by Los Angeles County prosecutors as a result of the probe.

Electoral history

+ Member, California State Assembly: 1982–1990