UNDERSHERIFF JO ANN GALISKY REQUESTS AUDIT
Who May Be The Next Orange County Sheriff?
www.lagunajournal.com
Joseph Cavallo criminal trial lawyer pleas guilty for bribing bondsmen for clients
By Michael Webster Investigative Reporter
Sentencing for Orange County criminal defense trial
lawyer Joseph G. Cavallo will be Dec. 14. Controversial Cavallo faces up to
three years and eight months in prison on
criminal counts of so-called attorney capping and paying bail bondsmen to refer
clients to his law firm. This stems from a kickback scheme in which bail agents
steered business his way.
When the Journal contacted Cavallo’s attorney John
D. Barnett and asked why his client pleaded guilty, Barnett responded:
"Because he is guilty. He made a mistake and owned up to it."
he refused to answer the possibility of disbarment for his client Cavallo.
Cavallo, for years politically connected to county Sheriff Michael S. Carona and
other law enforcement figures, had no comment after the court hearing before
Superior Court Judge Carla M. Singer. His demeanor according to the LAtimes was
in sharp contrast to the confident and aggressive courtroom behavior that often
rankled judges and prosecutors.
His "yes" and "I understand" answers were barely audible when Singer and Senior
Deputy Dist. Atty. Ebrahim Baytieh read the charges and asked if he understood
that prosecutors had not promised him special treatment in exchange for his
guilty plea.
Barnett said “Cavallo is prepared to accept whatever punishment the court gives
him, Singer said she would rely on a Probation Department report about
Cavallo's crimes to decide how much time, if any, he should spend behind bars.
Barnett said Cavallo had continued representing clients through Friday but
declined to say if Cavallo would continue to practice after pleading guilty. He
remained free on $25,000 bail.
The plea comes a week after two bail bondsmen were each sentenced to four months
in jail and three years of probation for their roles in the crime.
Jorge Andres Castro, 31, of Aliso Viejo and Alejandro de Jesus Cruz, 35, of
Miami pleaded guilty in February to two felonies.
Prosecutors said both men received payments from Cavallo for client referrals,
but the only payment listed by the district attorney was a $50,000 transfer from
Cavallo to Castro in 2004.
Castro and Cruz were owners of Xtreme Bail Bonds of Santa Ana. When they pleaded
guilty, they admitted to referring inmates to Cavallo from Orange County Jail
between June 2003 and August 2005. Authorities learned of the scheme when other
bail companies complained of the practice.
Prosecutors said it is illegal for bail bond workers to recommend an attorney to
their clients, even if no money changes hands. It is also illegal for attorneys
to pay nonlawyers for client referrals, prosecutors said.
On Friday, Barnett defined "capping" as "paying for clients" and said, "Mr.
Cavallo paid for clients."
Cavallo's guilty plea came almost two years to the day after his arrest. Barnett
had charged that Cavallo's indictment was politically motivated and accused
Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas of engaging in vindictive prosecution.
At the time, the attorney said that Cavallo's prosecution was payback for
representing Gregory Haidl, the son of a former assistant sheriff, in a sexual
assault case and then defending George Jaramillo, another assistant sheriff who
was fired and charged with corruption.
But on Friday, Barnett said that the earlier charges of vindictive prosecution
were "not applicable now."
"My client's plea shows that he was indicted for what he did," Barnett said, and
amounted to surrender.
Baytieh said Cavallo's guilty plea proved that the allegations of vindictive
prosecution were baseless.
After representing Haidl, Cavallo defended Jaramillo, who pleaded no contest to
lying to a grand jury and to unauthorized use of a county helicopter.
He was sentenced to a year in jail and is to
be released next month. Cavallo was once a part of Carona's inner circle.
For related stories click here:
More... related stories: Saga Of Orange County's Sheriff Michael S. Carona
High-profile defense lawyer Cavallo is indicted
Laguna Journal ARCHIVES
| Contact Us Add Your Comments:
|