The wily civil rights lawyer from Venice Beach just won’t go quietly. Even though Steve Yagman was found guilty of multiple money laundering charges as well as bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion in June, sentenced to three years in federal prison in November, and told to surrender to federal authorities on January 15, the tenacious attorney is still nowhere near the clink.
It’s somewhat of twisted story, but, according to sources at the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, it goes something like this: Yagman and his lawyer Barry Tarlow filed an appeal of the jury’s June 22 decision a few days after the verdict was handed down. He was then sentenced to three years in federal prison, starting on January 15. But Yagman received a postponement from the court, with a new surrender date of January 29.
During all of this legal maneuvering, Yagman then asked U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson, who oversaw the civil rights attorney’s trial, if he could remain free on bail as his appeal worked its way through the federal court system. Wilson denied the request, so Team Yagman filed an appeal of that ruling on January 28—a day before he was supposed to surrender on January 29.
The bail appeal, according to federal law, automatically stays Yagman’s surrender date until a federal “motions panel” rules on the matter. The panel will probably hand down its decision in a week or two, according to sources familiar with the Yagman case. As a result, the attorney who loves messing with any and all authority remains free.
When, and if, Yagman finally does serve time, sources believe he’ll be shipped off to a penitentiary in Butner, North Carolina, which has one of the few medical facilities in the federal prison system. Yagman claims to have special health needs. Always a vigorous litigator for his clients, Yagman is now working every conceivable legal angle on his own behalf.
Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)
Trackbacks
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://mt.laweekly.com/mt-tb.cgi/48795
Slideshows
-
Point Break Live! Beyond the Stage at the Dragonfly
L.A. Weekly went backstage with the cast of Point Break Live! at the Dragonfly to... More>> -
Cobrasnake: Where the Wild Things Are... Animal Spirits and Jungle Books
Cobrasnake parties and discovers where the wild things really are. -
M83 Packs Sold Out Henry Fonda Theater
M83 packed the Fonda on Saturday Nov. 29 for a sold out Thanksgiving weekend show. The lush... More>>
Recent Posts
- South L.A.: London's Future
- Stage Raw: The Little Dog Laughed
- Dog Day Evening
- Hillary's Emoluments Problem
- Over the Weekend: Point Break Live, M83 Sells Out Henry Fonda, Goth Party at Ruin Hollywood, Cobrasnake's Animal Instincts
- Can You Keanu? Point Break Live! Returns to Hollywood
- Queer Town: Power Lesbian Criticizes "No on 8" Campaign
- Stage Raw: Lodestone Says Goodnight and Good Luck
- "Familial DNA" Searching May be Key in Finding Serial Killer
- Stage Raw: Critic-O-Meter
Comments
There are 4 comments posted for this article.
Its amazing how this (man) can continue to elude his rightful punishment but I'm sure that his fate will finally catch up to him, even if he does get to spend his time in a country club jail.
Posted on January 31, 2008 8:01 PM by David N Cook
By reading www.USAjudges.com - one learns Yagman's "crimes" pale in comparison.
Posted on January 31, 2008 11:15 PM by Bonnie Russell
So I guess defrauding elderly relatives of their life savings, committing bankruptcy fraud, and then obviously trying to cover it up by lying on the stand are not "crimes" according to Bonnie. Yagman should be in prison already and it wouldn't shock me if the Ninth Circuit decided to let this criminal stay free.
Posted on February 1, 2008 9:27 AM by John
John must be one of the welfare queen LAPD cops who Yagman spanked so often in court.
Nice try John, but Yagman is 10 times the man you could ever dream of being.
Posted on April 25, 2008 8:08 PM by John's Not Cool