Yagman Sentencing Hearing Delayed Again
Stephen Yagman’s sentencing has been delayed again, until Monday. The story is just where you would expect to find a story about the sentencing of a prominent Los Angeles-based civil rights attorney: in the San Jose Mercury News.
As punishment for his tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud, Yagman wants to teach morality to college students at UCLA. No, I’m not joking:
A famed civil-rights lawyer convicted of federal tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud has been asked to teach an undergraduate course on law, morality and social justice at a university, his attorney said Wednesday in urging a judge to not impose a prison sentence.
. . . .
At his sentencing hearing Wednesday, attorney Barry Tarlow said his client should be spared prison because he was in poor health, would be vulnerable to attack and because he could share with aspiring lawyers his considerable civil rights experience.
“He still has a way to contribute,” Tarlow said. “There’s a number of professors over there who are interested in having him teach.”
University of California, Los Angeles, professor Frances Ohlsen [sic — correct spelling is “Olsen” — P] asked Yagman to teach the undergraduate course, Tarlow said.
Prosecutors want nine years in prison.
There’s quite a bit of distance between those positions. Judge Wilson wants to hear from prosecutors Monday. Also on Monday, Yagman will be making a statement on his own behalf.
And the saga continues . . .
Meanwhile, as of the date and time of this post, there is not a word about any of this in the Los Angeles Times:
UPDATE: OK, the local rag finally has something up, here. It’s a short article by anti-LAPD attack dog Scott Glover. It doesn’t mention Yagman’s outrageous request that he be “punished” — for committing over a dozen felonies causing a loss in the high six figures — by teaching a UCLA undergraduate class on morality, among other topics.
The story is part of Glover’s new assignment covering the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
UPDATE x2: The Associated Press picks up on the irony that the Los Angeles Times apparently misses. The AP story on Yagman’s sentencing plea is titled Convicted Lawyer Wants to Teach Morality.
Isn’t that a pretty good angle? Why isn’t there a word about it in the L.A. Times??
The defense argues that Yagman has much to teach aspiring lawyers but I bet there are a lot more inmates who would benefit from his civil rights knowledge.
(How ironic that Professor Ohlsen wants Yagman to teach morality.)
DRJ (973069) — 11/21/2007 @ 9:13 pmThe man responsible for teaching securities law and commercial law was, according to rumor, found out in shady practices by the SEC and told that if he ever showed up on Wall Street again, he would be put in jail. So he chose teaching. Of course, he had already made his mint. I’m not sure how close to the truth the rumor was, and he was definitely never prosecuted for anything, much less in danger of jail time.
kishnevi (6273ad) — 11/21/2007 @ 9:30 pmI had Fran Olsen (misspelled in the article, see here) for torts at UCLA law, and Yagman came to speak to our class one day about civil rights litigation. For what it’s worth, it was fairly interesting.
Matto Ichiban (3b5aeb) — 11/21/2007 @ 10:08 pmDid he talk about how to withhold money from clients and then defraud the government on the taxes?
Patterico (2586cd) — 11/21/2007 @ 10:29 pmThat was probably the advanced class…
To be fair, he could be a great civil litigator, but a crappy human being.
Not cool like LA Prosecutors. 8)
Scott Jacobs (a1de9d) — 11/21/2007 @ 10:43 pmYagman teaching “morality and social justice?”
Jerry LeFrois/LAPD/RHD RET (56a0a8) — 11/21/2007 @ 10:47 pmWhat a joke!
Yagman has not one moral fiber in his body. I doubt if he can even spell the word.
And “social justice”….The only social justice Yagman knows has a dollar sign on it!
“Judge Wilson…..You’re a man! Find out where you left your testicles and wear them to court on Monday, the 26th!!!”
Hey Jerry, I don’t know you from Adam; in fact, I haven’t been to your city (once went to Cali to visit a girl; she wasn’t a huge fan of L.A. so she rebuffed my desire to visit in favor of shacking up together instead… drats). But the work you did there as everywhere is important because the fight against evil and for the rule of law affects all mankind, even surrounding jurisdictions.
Thanks.
Christoph (92b8f7) — 11/21/2007 @ 10:50 pmTurkeys are smarter then politicians
krazy kagu (d7018c) — 11/22/2007 @ 7:51 am[A]ttorney Barry Tarlow said his client should be spared prison because he was in poor health, would be vulnerable to attack…” Who would attack him–they’re many of his friends.
Unless they put him in the section with the few ex-cops who are imprisoned. Or maybe clients he had cheated?
Now that I think of it, there are probably lots of folks everywhere who wish ill on him.
ManlyDad (d62cf6) — 11/22/2007 @ 8:16 amHe can teach a course over the Internet – from Sing Sing.
Justin Levine (9ca6ae) — 11/22/2007 @ 7:39 pm