FBI agents serve search warrant at LADWP office in Downtown Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (FOX 11) - FBI agents were serving a search warrant Monday morning at the downtown headquarters of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Authorities declined to specify the nature of the search.

Katherine Gulotta of the FBI in Los Angeles said, "We are confirming a search warrant at Los Angeles DWP in downtown Los Angeles, but are prohibited from commenting further because affidavits involved in the warrant are sealed.''

LADWP Chief Operating Officer Martin L. Adams said in a letter to employees and shared with the media:

"Earlier this morning, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation served a search warrant at the John Ferraro Building and Figueroa Plaza in connection with a federal investigation, the details of which are under seal by a Federal Court.

This morning's events have been widely reported in the media, and I want you to be informed of that and encourage you not to speculate about the investigation.

I also want to reassure all of our employees that we are fully cooperating with authorities and will continue to do so. In the meantime, it is important that we focus on the work at hand and not allow this development to distract us from continuing to serve our customers."

There was minimal activity visible at the DWP office building at 111 N. Hope St. in the Civic Center area. A van with an FBI placard was parked outside the building, and at least two agents were seen going inside.

There were also reports of warrants being served at Los Angeles City Hall, but it was unclear exactly what offices were being targeted.

It was unclear if the search had any relation to an ongoing federal corruption probe at City Hall focused on downtown-area real estate developments and foreign investments in the projects, specifically from select Chinese investors.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's office issued a statement acknowledging the FBI's presence at the Civic Center complex.

"We were notified earlier this morning that federal search warrants were being executed today,'' said Alex Comisar, press secretary for Garcetti. "The mayor believes that any criminal wrongdoing should be investigated and prosecuted. His expectation is that any city employee asked to cooperate will do so fully and immediately.''

Additional details were not immediately known.

CNS contributed to this report.