Watch: Body camera video shows Lodi Council Member Shakir Khan agreeing to resign after arrest
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday released a jailhouse body camera video that shows Lodi Council Member Shakir Khan agreeing to resign hours after his arrest on election fraud charges.
In the video from Feb. 16, Khan agrees to resign after being urged to do so by Lodi Mayor Mikey Hothi and signs a resignation statement drafted by the mayor on the spot.
While the city of Lodi has already removed Khan from its website, Khan has insisted that he did not resign as a council member.
“I was in a trauma,” Khan told KCRA 3 after his release on Friday. “I’m taking that back. I worked hard for my election. I worked hard to serve my community for the last three years.”
His lawyer Allen Sawyer released a statement Thursday saying, "Mr. Khan does not intend to resign his position, nor did he authorize any person to resign on his behalf or file any documents purporting to be Mr. Khan’s resignation."
The newly released video to KCRA 3 begins with Khan saying that he hasn’t yet talked to his wife since being arrested.
“They just picked me up from my house. We were sleeping,” he says. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Khan explains that he doesn’t really understand the charges against him but says that he’s “going to fight this until the last minute.”
“I think you should step aside,” Hothi tells him. “I think you should resign. It looks bad. Think about your family.”
Hothi asks whether staying in office “is even worth it at this point?”
“You should just step aside because the longer you’re on the city council the longer these stories go,” he continues. “It’s one thing to be here. The worst thing is you have your kids watching? Why even deal with that? How about you fight it and if you’re cleared of all charges, you’ll win in the next election.”
Khan replies, “OK, I’ll do that then.”
The video goes on to show Hothi asking for a pen and paper to write out a resignation statement for Khan to sign. Hothi assures him that the city manager, district attorney and others agree Khan should resign.
“I tried to talk to as many people as possible,” Hothi says.
After Khan signs the statement he tells Hothi that “it was nice working with you.”
A statement from the Lodi Mayor reads:
“The footage released by the Sheriffs office speaks for itself. Shak Khan declined multiple meeting requests but accepted my request to meet. He immediately agreed to my suggestion for him to resign. Together we drafted a statement with him making edits. We both signed the statement. I think people who view the video will see that.”
Khan faces multiple felony charges that stem from the 2020 election. He is accused of stashing 41 ballots at his home. Investigators also say he registered 23 people to vote at his home and that his email and phone number were used to register 47 others. Body camera footage showed voters telling detectives how Khan allegedly pressured them to vote for him and how he allegedly falsified voter registration documents.
| RELATED | See the sheriff's office presentation on their case here
The election fraud investigation is separate from another criminal case involving Khan and his brother, who were previously charged with illegal gambling, money laundering, tax evasion and EDD fraud. They are next due in court in that case on Feb. 21 for another arraignment in that case where they are expected to enter a plea and then face trial.
Khan was let out of jail Friday on zero bail on his own recognizance, but he is required to wear a tracking device, he needs to obey all laws, stay within the state of California and adhere to all of the judge’s orders as conditions of his release.
Read the full statement from Khan's lawyer Allen Sawyer after Thursday's release of the body camera video:
“I am in the process of preparing a complaint to be filed in the Eastern District of California for injunctive and declaratory relief under (Voting Rights Act of 1965; (52 U.S.C. § 10301); National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. § 20507); First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution; 42 U.S. Code § 1983). The assumption based on news reports, is that the City of Lodi has removed Mr. Khan from his elected office. Mr. Khan does not intend to resign his position, nor did he authorize any person to resign on his behalf or file any documents purporting to be Mr. Khan’s resignation. This case is not just about Mr. Khan. This is about due process, voter rights, and the disenfranchisement of historically discriminated groups.”