

Investigators for the U.S. Labor Department are looking into cash advances made by Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum officials to a union representative, sources said.

The investigators have asked the Coliseum Commission for information on about nearly $1 million in payments given during the last several years to a representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak.

The cash was supposed to cover wages for union stagehands who work on events at the stadium and companion Sports Arena, officials said. But the Coliseum imposed no controls over where the money ended up, according to the officials.

Invoice reports that The Times obtained under the California Public Records Act show that the payments -– sometimes delivered in suitcases packed with $100 bills -– were made from at least March 2006 through February 2011.

The payments were for rave concerts, Cinco de Mayo performances, a mixed martial arts production and a Lakers NBA championship celebration, among other Coliseum bookings. Over the last year, The Times has published a series of reports on financial irregularities at the Coliseum.